A Royal Feud
by FWRC
Summary: Five months after the coronation, Elsa and Anna have grown extremely close. As they discover each other all over again, they face challenges to the inevitable relationship that arises. How will they react when they meet their most unlikely enemy?
1. Ignorance

It was snowing. She wasn't sure for how long, but she was sure that it hadn't been snowing when the meeting began. It was enough that at least three inches would cover the castle and the surrounding city by the end of the day. As she looked out the window of the council room, she thought about her, about that amazing redhead that she couldn't get out of her head.

"…important matters to…"

Anna, her sister, had become the center of her world over the past five months. Realizing that she hardly knew her younger sister, yet loved her more than she could put words to describe, Elsa made it a point to spend as much time as humanly possible with her. They started out awkwardly, unsure of how they should proceed with their relationship, but they eventually learned how to enjoy each other's company without having to constantly think of ways to goof off. Elsa soon discovered more about Anna than she thought possible; her favorite color was blue, her favorite food was chocolate, and she hadn't quite pinned down Anna's favorite pastime. It was a contest between snuggling with her sister and making life harder for the castle staff by making a mess of everything she touched.

"…concern about our rivals, they have…"

Elsa remembered all of the times they hugged, held hands or cuddled next to a fire; she remembered when Anna wouldn't let her go when they first skated; she remembered the warm smiles and laughter that her sister brought to her life; she remembered her previous life, devoid of all of these guilty pleasures. She tried not to think too much about that last part.

"…needs immediate att-…"

But as much as she tried, Elsa couldn't shake the ominous shadow of her former self. _Conceal, don't feel,_ she continued to tell herself, unable to leave behind the old mantra that haunted her for fourteen long years. Fourteen years without outside contact, fourteen years shut up in her room, fourteen years of living in fear of her own powers, fourteen years without Anna…

"…cannot ignore…"

As she drifted in her thoughts, lost in her internal struggle to free herself from the constraints her father imposed on her, the council members continued to ramble on.

"…insufficient returns…"

_Her father…_ Elsa didn't know what to think of that man. He loved her and only tried to do what he thought was best for the kingdom, for her, for Anna…

"…ought to worry…"

Yet Elsa could not bring herself to think of him in the manner that her late father ought to be remembered. All of the Queen's thoughts focused on how her father had kept her and Anna apart for so long, how he constrained her and kept her from controlling her powers. If only he had truly loved Elsa as a father should have loved his daughter instead of keeping her locked away in the castle, hiding his abomination from the outside world. In retrospect, the late king 's efforts to hide his daughter were in vain. Elsa only needed the love she so desperately craved in order to control her powers, and her father made sure that she grew up starved of the very means to accomplish her goal.

"…neighboring kingdoms…"

_If only you could have loved me… _Elsa thought wistfully, not sure whether to hate or pity her father. _No, don't think that. Of course he loved you! Why else would he so painstakingly keep you from your sister, protecting the thing that he loved most in this world… _

"…strategic to possibly…"

Elsa could almost justify her father's actions when she remembered what had prompted her isolation. _Anna…_ that amazing girl, her beloved sister who brought a smile to her face whenever they were together, who comforted her older sister when Elsa was afraid, who knew how to make her sister laugh, who always said that the two would never be apart again, whom she couldn't stop thinking about…

"…not unwarranted…"

Is this what having a sister is like? Elsa could hardly remember the four years they spent together as children, so any interaction that she and Anna shared was, for the most part, completely new. The Queen was rediscovering what it was like to have someone in her life who loved her unconditionally, who did not think of her as a monster that needed containing, who would always comfort and protect her, who would always love her…

"…customary…"

She nodded in agreement, trying to seem interested. The Queen, however, hadn't heard a word of what the council members had suggested for the past half hour. Lost in her own little world, she silently hoped that what the council was discussing wasn't too distressing. She would read over the minutes that night, informing herself as she had done countless times before of what the council had demanded of her while she was lost in her thoughts.

"…Your Majesty?" one of the members questioned, snapping Elsa out her daze.

"Hu-… oh, What was that?" she stammered, trying not to look caught off guard. Hopefully she hadn't missed anything important.

"Your Grace, I was merely suggesting that we set a time frame for this task. A year, perhaps? Or is that too much time, considering the diplomatic urgency?" If she didn't know better, that man caught on that Elsa hadn't been paying attention. What was his name again? Lord Ham- something, she couldn't remember, she never bothered to learn to attach the names of her council members to their faces; Elsa never really paid attention in these meetings, and she never made an attempt to get to know these people outside of the required time she spent with them every few days.

"I'm not quite sure," she replied timidly, trying not to lose the gaze of the councilmen. "I don't want to rush things," _What could be so urgent?_ "But maybe a year is too long to wait for something so important. Three months, perhaps?" her statement garnered a mixed reply, with murmurs erupting between the councilmen. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing, and prayed that she hadn't suggested something too immature.

"Your Grace, I mean no disrespect, but three months would run the risk of looking rushed. Perhaps the end of spring would be appropriate? I fear that if hurried, this could come across to our neighbors a feeble attempt at diplomacy."

"Nonsense!" another spoke up. "Three months is plenty of time!"

"Hardly!" a third man interjected. "I believe three months to be far too short of a time to accomplish something so important. I propose a compromise: a decision is made in three months, but we wait until the end of spring to carry it out. This would allow plenty of time to work out any details, and it won't seem rushed. What do you think, Your Grace?"

"The end of spring sound perfect. A decision will be made in three months, but I agree that enough time must be set aside in order to make all the pertinent plans. The extra two months will serve as a…diplomatic buffer, of sorts. A way to make this seem more thought out and less calculated." _Say something else, make it seem like you know what's going on! You don't want to look like a fool in front of your council!_ "Also, I will be the final arbitrator in this matter. The decision is mine and mine alone." She hoped she didn't come across as too demanding, but Elsa needed to make a name for herself. The fledgling queen struggled enough to exert her power, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. After a brief moment of silence, Elsa spoke up again, "Thank you all for your council, this meeting is adjourned." The council members rose as the Queen got up from her seat and began the commute back to her study, ready to pore over the minutes of the meeting she had just dazed through.

_That was a close call. You _need _to pay more attention in these meetings! One day they won't be discussing something so innocuous as a diplomatic proposal! _Elsa was still trapped in her own mental prison, unable to focus on what was transpiring around her. _Why can't I focus?_ She thought for a minute. _You know why. You _must_ get these… "feelings" under control! Conceal, don't feel_…

Just as she opened the door to her study, Elsa was nearly tackled by her younger sister, taken by surprise as the younger girl launched herself at the queen.

"Elsa!" Anna rejoiced, pulling her sister in to a tight embrace. "I missed you!" Elsa pulled back to get a better look at her sister. Anna had a wide smile plastered on her face, her eyes looking directly into her sister's.

"Anna, I saw you at breakfast. We've only been apart for four hours!"

"But those were four hours _without you! _I was bored out of my mind!"

"Oh, come on, are you telling me that you couldn't find something to occupy yourself during my council meeting? You could have read a book, or went for a walk, or-"

"But what fun would those things have been without you?" Her sister had a point; the pair rarely did anything alone any more; most of their time was spent together, so trying to entertain themselves without the other seemed pointless.

"I guess you have a point. But it was only for a few hours, are you seriously incapable of being without me for that long?" Elsa felt a small smile creeping on her face; she wasn't sure whether to balk at her sister's dependence on herself or to revel in the fact that her feelings for her sister were reciprocated.

"…Maybe…" Anna whimpered, a red glow appearing on her face, her eyes shifting away from her older sister. "I just… I just don't ever want to be without you again. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Her voice softened and her smile faded. Elsa took her sister's face in her hands as she spoke.

"Listen to me: as long as I'm queen, we'll never be apart. I _swear_ to you Anna, on my honor as the queen, I will do everything in my power to keep us together, alright?" a small smile made its way onto Anna's face, and her expression softened into one of comfort.

"But what about when you get married? You won't have time for me between running the kingdom and raising a family!"

"Anna, I will _always_ have time for you. No man could ever replace your spot in my heart, and besides, I'll need all the help I can get in raising my children," Elsa felt her lips curl upwards as she spoke, and Anna reciprocated the gesture.

"Ok, but what about when _I _get married? You won't just send me off to some kingdom or duchy because they have fat wallet, will you?"

"Of course not!" Elsa scoffed. "You will marry for love and love alone. I would _never _force you to wed against your will." She felt like her explanation was still lacking. "And you will always be welcome at the castle. I would hope that whoever your husband is, he would be willing to move in with us." She smiled back at her sister, but Anna's face was construed as if she was hiding something from her older sister. Her lips were bent upwards in a forced manner, almost a grimace. Her eyes looked into Elsa's longingly, telling the blonde that her little sister was hiding something from her.

"Alright, thanks." Her face remain unchanged, eyes still focused on Elsa's.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, I was just… I don't know, sad? Confused? Worried? But I'm fine now. I just wished that I could have come to the council meeting today, but I understand. Something super-secret, right? Can't tell me or you'd have to kill me?" Anna chuckled at that last part, a real smile emerging across her face. Elsa mirrored her action, enjoying her sister's changed expression.

"Something like that. To be honest, I barely paid attention. I was just coming back here to-" Elsa stopped as she saw someone standing in the doorway.

"Umm …Your Majesty? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I have the minutes for today's meeting"

"Yes, thank you," came Elsa's reply, breaking the embrace with her sister as she walked over to take the notes from the servant. Anna followed her to her desk as she began to pore over the information she missed during her day dream.

"Let's see here…boring…boring…already knew that…boring…hmm…"

"Anything important?"

"No, not really. Just the same old banter from neighboring kingdoms. Most of them aren't sure whether to love us or fear us because of the incident at my coronation, but it's nothing that I can't…" she stopped dead in her tracks as she read the next line of the minutes.

_Lord Jensen proposes the marriage of the princess Anna to a foreign dignitary, is met with general approval. He reasons that the queen is too valuable to marry at the present and that a marriage to Her Majesty would bring more instability to the kingdom._

Elsa was reeling. What exactly had she agreed to? "What is it, Elsa? Something bad happen? Did one of our neighbors denounce us in a nasty letter, or what?" Anna asked with a smile on her face and a tone that, under other circumstances, would have brought a smile to her sister's face. Elsa was silent as she continued to read in shock.

_Lord Hammond proposes a timetable to marry the princess. Debate is held, the Queen agrees to three months to name a suitor, and sets the date for the wedding for the end of spring._

_Oh no. What have I done?! You _just_ promised your sister that you'd never be apart, and now you're going to send her off like packaged goods? What is _wrong_ with you!_

"Elsa, what is it? Let me see-" but as she glanced down at the paper in front of her sister, she let out a gasp and took a step backwards. "Elsa… what in the… wha-?" was all that she could muster, trying not to fall over as she backed away from her sister.

"Anna, I can explain…" but as she turned around to confront her sister, Anna was already running down the hall.


	2. Confusion

If fourteen years of separation were agonizing, then two weeks of isolation were killing Elsa, draining her of any resolve she previously held. After Anna found out what the Queen had agreed to do during the council meeting, the redhead refused to be near her older sister. Elsa rarely even saw her anymore, with Anna making sure to stay hidden. Each day they spent apart Elsa felt a growing pain in her gut when she woke, a pain that haunted her throughout her daily routine. Eat. Paperwork. Listen. Paperwork. Meetings. Eat. Sleep. She didn't think that it would destroy her so completely to be starved of her younger sister, but Elsa couldn't bring herself to do anything more than absolutely necessary.

Elsa often found herself knocking on Anna's door, begging her to come out. The last time she tried to reach out to her sister was six days prior.

* * *

_A slight rapping to Anna's door punctuated the silence of the castle's corridor. Elsa frowned, eyebrows furrowed with a look of dejection haunting her face. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, her hair a mess otherwise. She wore a simple blue gown, similar to the ones her mother used to wear, as opposed to making a dress of ice. Elsa found herself losing her grip on the finer points of her powers in her current state of depression, unable to focus on anything except her sister who constantly evaded her._

"_Anna? It's me, Elsa…" No reply._

"_I just- I want to talk about what happened last week. I don't want to lose you!"_

"_You already have!" came a voice from within the room._

"_But Anna-"_

"_NO! You _LIED_ to me, Elsa, and now we can_ never_ be together!" her words dug deep, enticing a stifled sob from the Queen._

"_Anna, I never-"_

"_It's too late, Elsa!" between her sister's shouts, Elsa could almost make out a slight sniffle. "Just go away!" Elsa sobbed against her sister's door, unable to keep back her emotions. _So this is what being shut out feels like_, she thought to herself._

"_Anna, please-" she managed between bouts of crying, trying to compose herself. She was almost whispering at this point, desperate to see Anna._

"_Just... GO!" but Elsa just sat there, immobilized and unable to reach out to Anna, the only person she truly cared about in the entire world. She was too preoccupied in her own grief to notice Anna's stifled sobs emanating from the room. Elsa cried herself to sleep at her sister's door. When she woke up her chambers the Queen assumed that one of her servants saw her and carried her to bed. How humiliating, she was the Queen! But Elsa couldn't bring herself to care as she lay awake in bend, pondering reasons to get up and start her day._

* * *

That was six days ago and Elsa only felt worse, like her organs were rotting inside her chest. Servants constantly complained how frigid the castle became, even in the middle of winter. Elsa hardly noticed, barely able to register what people were saying directly to her face, which is exactly what was happening right now.

"Your Grace!" the councilman nearly shouted, rousing the perturbed Elsa from her daze.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying? It's been hard for me to focus lately, I've been… preoccupied over the past few weeks."

"Your Grace, we were trying to plan a ball for potential suitors to court your sister. Invitations have already been sent out, and we need your approval for the expenditures," the man seemed to understand that the Queen hadn't been listening to anything they were saying. Under better circumstances Elsa would have found this suspicious.

"Very well." She sighed. Expenditures and planning were the last things on her mind, especially for an event designed to auction off her sister to the highest bidder. With less than a week until the big day, party planners and royal advisors were constantly nagging the Queen for her approval on everything form the number of salad plates to set out to the amount of gravy each guest should receive. "How much are we expecting to spend on this..." _no, this wasn't a party… _"_event_?" Elsa struggled to maintain composure. She felt a knot in her stomach and a lump in her throat and tried not to run out of the council room. _How am I going to live without Anna? I can't even go _two weeks_ without seeing her face, without feeling her touch…._

"Not much, Your Majesty. This is a modest event, so it won't have too much of an impact on the royal coffers. We are expecting no more than two hundred thousand, but that is merely a liberal overestimate. With any luck…"

Elsa stopped paying attention and drifted back into her mental playground, unable to focus on the specifics of the conversation. She looked out the window. It was snowing again. She couldn't tell if it was because she was losing control of her powers or because it was winter, but snow was coming down hard. It would probably leave at least four inches on the ground before the night, making it difficult for foreign dignitaries to navigate the streets of Arendelle. _Now only if I could make them sail back home…._

But Elsa knew that was pointless. The "ball" was going to happen, and she was going to pick one of the men who came to be her sister's husband. Perhaps not at this event, but very soon Elsa would have to do the unthinkable: give her sister away. She wasn't sure how she was going to live without Anna, but she would make do. Life had to go on without the princess; Elsa had lived without her for fourteen years, what was…. _the rest of her life…._ compared to that?

She swallowed the lump building up in her throat at that thought, doing everything in her power to not start crying in the middle of the council meeting. She clenched her fists and tried not to look at the frost forming on the table. She closed her eyes as she thought of how difficult life would be this summer. Anna would be gone, married off to some noble in a distant land, used as a diplomatic tool. Elsa didn't know how she was going to live with herself, how she was going to go on living without Anna.

_You'll do it for her. Be strong for her just like you always have been. You can't afford to mess this up_.

But no matter what she told herself, Elsa couldn't snap out of her depression. She had to learn to live without Anna eventually, so she might as well get used to it. It killed her inside to know that she could have prevented this entire mess if she would have been paying attention during that council meeting. She wasn't sure if she could or would ever forgive herself for letting the councilmen bully her into marrying off her sister.

Just then, a small thought popped into her head, only to be silenced by whatever remained of her rational side.

_You can't do that, don't be ridiculous. That would be _worse_ than what you're doing now. You don't want to make Anna even more miserable, do you? At least with what you're doing she can have a chance at a normal life._

She thought no more of this idea until the next day when it would grow into a plan to keep Anna in Arendelle.

* * *

That night was long and restless, as her nights had become without Anna. Instead of cuddling in bed, reading a story as they drifted to sleep in each other's arms, Elsa sat at her desk, trying to study the notes from the previous three council meetings. They all said the same things to her, that she was a failure as a sister. _Conceal, don't feel_ she would tell herself, trying to hold back the impending emotional implosion. _This is best for both of you. She was going to leave you someday, you had better get used to being alone._ Those words were hollow and a lie, but Elsa thought if she told herself enough times that this was the best course of action, the only course of action, she would believe it. She couldn't be farther from the truth. She resumed reading her notes, trying to focus on what the scribe scribbled on the page, trying to get caught up on weeks spent thinking of Anna, trying to forget what she did to her sister…

_Anna… what am I going to do? _Elsa held her head in her hands, slouching over her desk as she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. _She was supposed to marry for love, not be given away to some filthy aristocrat! You betrayed her trust and now she doesn't want anything to do with you! How are you going to live with yourself? How are you going to live at all?_

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. _Knock knock knock_ came three slight taps to the snowflake-covered door to Elsa's room. But before she could answer the call, Elsa heard footsteps walking away from the portal. When she opened her door, Elsa was greeted with silence and an empty corridor, leaving the queen wondering who could have wanted to see her in the middle of the night.

* * *

The next day was no better. Less than a week remained until the "Mid-Winter Ball," as her advisors had named it, and Elsa lay awake in her bed, searching her head for a reason to get up. She wasn't going to see Anna today, so she had that going for her. Delegations from neighboring countries were starting to arrive, so she'd have to greet them individually in the great hall later this afternoon. Unfortunately, she had already been informed by the head of staff that Anna wouldn't be joining her.

"_Lord Hansen insisted that we keep the princess hidden from view until the ball. This way she will seem more desirable, a prize worth fighting for!" _

_The giddy expression on the old man's face was met with stone cold silence and indignation from the Queen who looked like she would kill the man. After a few moments of awkward silence and grievous staring from the Queen, he continued his rapport of details, describing the uniforms the staff would wear and the banners that would hang from the walls. It was going to be an exiting event by any measure, but for the two people whom it involved the most it would be absolute hell._

Elsa couldn't remember what her head of staff had told her, only that Anna would remain absent from the public until the party. _Great, so at least one good thing will come of all this… maybe… _

Elsa still couldn't will herself to get up. Usually an early riser, she had struggled more and more each day to will herself up and start her daily routine. _What's the point anymore? Anna's going away and there's absolutely nothing I can do to…_

That little thought that she had silenced the day before came to the front of her mind.

_No._

_I can't… can I?_

_No, that would make things worse…_

_But I have the final say, I can do whatever I want. It would really show the council who's in charge, and would send a powerful message to our neighbors…_

_But Anna would never forgive you…would she?_

_No, we _need _this… for the good of the kingdom…._

_But what good will the kingdom be if it has a lame monarch? A queen that can't rule because she's in love with her sister!_

…_What?_

Elsa was interrupted from her internal debate as her handmaiden entered the room. "Queen Elsa, I began to worry, you missed breakfast, so I brought it to you," she started, as she walked across the room. "Here, you deserve a relaxing day, what with all the stress of planning the Mid-Winter Ball! I'm sure that you could use a break." Her handmaiden, Iris, was smiling at her, trying to cheer her up. Elsa tried to feign a smile, but ended up looking like she was going to cry instead. Her eyes started burning as she collapsed into her hands, unable to contain the flurry of emotions that suddenly overtook her.

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Iris set down the tray containing Elsa's breakfast and walked over to comfort the Queen. While she usually didn't allow people near her, Iris has become somewhat of an exception, with Elsa letting her to get within arms reach.

"I don't… I can't… I ju-" Elsa couldn't get three words out her mouth without bawling uncontrollably. She turned over, collapsing face down on her bed. She couldn't remember the last time she cried like this. Even when her parents died Elsa had been more composed than she was right now. Instead of a controlled release, Elsa let her guard down and poured out all of her pent up emotions. She had never done that before.

"I...I'm sorry if I disturbed you Your Majesty, I was only trying to-"

"It's OK" Elsa managed as she brought herself up. Still crying, she looked over at her concerned handmaiden and couldn't help but crack a small smile. "You did nothing wrong, I've just…I've been…" and just like that, she was bawling again, unable to keep back the torrent of sadness that had taken control of her body. _What is _wrong_ with you? Pull yourself together, Elsa! Conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel, conceal…_

As Elsa began to compose herself, Iris suddenly remembered why she was there. "I…Your Majesty, I have something for you." Iris reached into one of her pockets and procured a small piece of paper. "The…The Princess Anna gave this to me…" she held out the piece of paper for Elsa to take.

Silence. Elsa just looked at Iris, then the piece of paper. She stared long and hard, unsure of how to proceed. She tentatively reached a hand out, grabbing the folded up paper with shaking hands. The pair sat in silence as Elsa unfolded the paper to read its contents.

Two words were scribbled on the paper. _Library. Ten._ It was unmistakably Anna's hand that wrote those words. Elsa looked blankly at the paper, not able to properly process the information she just received.

"Anna..." she whispered softly, scrunching the paper under her hand.

"What is it, Your Majesty? What did the princess say?"

"It's no- nothing, just a note." Elsa was too distracted by thoughts of Anna to effectively function for the rest of the day. Iris helped her get ready for greeting the four kingdoms that had already arrived, but Elsa hardly remembered anything about that day. She would later write in her journal only about her conversation with Anna, unable to even remember which four kingdoms she greeted.

Regardless of her ability to function, Elsa still had duties to perform. She was whisked away by a Royal Guard of four- _or was it six? _Palace Guards to the throne room. Elsa could hardly see straight as she focused on the rendezvous between her and Anna later that night. As she entered the throne room Elsa quickly found herself sitting down and trumpets blasting as nobles and princes from places she hardly recognized filed in.

"Your Grace" was uttered half a million times as suitors for Anna lined up to meet her. One kingdom brought what seemed like a dozen young men to jest for the princess's hand, but Elsa already had a plan in motion to stop them…

Or did she?

_I can't, it's too controversial…_

_But I want to! When was the last time you did something _you _wanted?_

_This isn't about you, this is about _her_, about that perfect girl that is causing you so much grief._

_Oh no, what I am going to say to her? "Sorry for sending you off to a place you've never heard of to marry a man you'll never love? Sorry for ruining your life?" _

_You could always go forward with your plan…._

_Wouldn't that be worse…? _

_What if…_

_No, don't even think that! She's your sister! This would be purely platonic, a reason to keep her here. She'll understand, I know she will! …Won't she?_

_What if she hates you more? She can never have children, never have a normal life._

_You shouldn't do it. It would destroy her._

_But wouldn't it destroy her even more by sending her off?_

_Damn, why does this have to be so hard?_

The rest of the day was spent in an internal struggle to decide how to approach her current situation. She had a plan to fend of these grubby rats vying for her sister, but she wasn't sure whether or not Anna would accept it. Trapped between a rock and a very hard place, Elsa trudged through the rest of the day with a heavy heart. There was no escape from her royal duties, no matter how distracted she was. Night could not come quicker.

But when the hour of reckoning was approaching, Elsa felt her insides flutter and her stomach turn inside out. She had been preparing all day for this meeting and now she could barely pull herself to attend. _This is what you want, right? You _need_ to do this, to fix things with Anna._

_But what if you can't?_

_What if she hates you for this, for even _thinking_ of proposing what you're about to propose?_

_What if she never wants to see you again?_

Those words stuck out in her mind as she paced in her room, waiting for the clock to strike 10. The ground around her froze, and as frost spread across the walls and up the ceiling, Elsa looked over at the grandfather clock leaning against her wall.

_9:30. Almost there, you can do this. Just calm down, she's your sister! You need this, you need to see her, to feel her soft skin, her auburn hair running through your fingers, her face-_

_NO. I will not go there, she's your sister!_

_But-_

_But maybe she can be more…_

_No, no, no, no, NO! You CAN'T feel this way, Elsa! You're going to destroy yourself and Anna if don't get your feelings under control! Conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel, conceal…_

_But then why do you want to do this so badly? Why did you event think of doing this in the first place?_

_I want to do it for her, to protect Anna, to keep her here, with me, so she can be happy. That's what she wants, isn't it?_

_And if that _isn't _what she wants? What are you going to do then? You'll have to respect her wishes and do everything you can to let her live a normal life._

_Maybe… what about that ice harvester? Kris- something? She hasn't spoken about him in months, I wonder if she'd…_

_But that won't work, you know why. _

_What, and your plan is better? _

_He's not even a noble, there's no legal foundation…._

_There's no precedent for what you want to do, either…. is there?_

_Yes, yes there is. Five hundred and thirty-two years ago. King Fredrik. How could you forget? There is no other way. Either it's this plan or you let your sister be married to some buffoon._

_But not just any buffoon, a prince of _your _choosing. The man who marries your sister will have to be approved by you and you alone, you'll make sure that she marries a decent man, someone who will protect and honor her…_

_But how can you be sure? You only have three months to make a decision, how can you judge a man's character in three months, especially one who could be extremely craft and motivated?_

Her internal struggle only got worse as time went on. With only five minutes left until ten, Elsa finalized her arguments that had wrought havoc in her mind for the entire day.

_I'll let her decide. If you can convince her to be content with marrying a prince of her choosing, then you won't even bring up your… alternative. But if she can't be convinced…_

Elsa was interrupted from her thoughts by the clock striking ten. She jumped and shot an ice blast at the clock out of sheer nervousness. Her hands were shaking and she could barely stand, but she had a meeting to attend.

As she made her way to her door, one final thought made its way into her head.

_What if she feels the same way?_

Elsa found herself standing before her door, ready to exit and to meet Anna. She stared at the white wood carved with patterns of blue snowflakes. She ran a bare hand down the door, and found that a small trail of frost in the wake of her left hand. _Conceal, don't feel_ she told herself one last time as she reached for the handle. Thoughts of doubt started to creep to the front of her mind, but she silenced them with a mental image of Anna waiting to greet her.

Anna, oh how the Queen had missed her sister. Elsa nervously turned the knob and exited the doorway, closing her door behind her. She started her trek to the library, repeating that old mantra once again.

_Conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel._

Before she knew it Elsa stood before the entrance to the castle library. The wood door was dark and hard to make out in the candle light, the more intricate designs being lost in the poor lighting. In a nervous fit Elsa forgot to bring a candle with her, forcing her to navigate the halls by candle light.

Most of the guards were still at their stations, but the night guards were fewer and farther between than the normal guards were. Under the circumstances of her plan Elsa wasn't sure whether to feel comforted or judged by the guards lining the hallways and stairwells. No guards stood near the library, which normally would have struck Elsa as odd, but she was too preoccupied by the door standing in front of her to notice the missing men. Anna had probably ordered them away, but Elsa was in no state to reason that.

As she gripped the handle of the door, frost appeared on the metal of the handle, this time more intense than in her room. She wasn't doing a very good job of concealing her powers, and the pressure of meeting Anna for the first time in weeks wasn't helping. She wanted to slam the door open and run in, grab Anna and never let her go. But Elsa was too nervous to make her body move. Slowly, she turned the handle, having to thaw some of the ice forming on the door.

As she entered, she gasped. Anna was sitting at a table near the fire place, her eyes on the flickering flames. She didn't look up, but she flinched slightly and inhaled at the noise of the door opening.

"Close the door". Elsa did as instructed, completely unsure of herself as her wobbly arms barely responded to her commands. If she didn't sit downs soon she was going to collapse, her legs having turned to pudding.

"Sit." Anna still hadn't looked up from the fire. Elsa took a seat opposite of Anna, putting a comfortable yet yearning space between them. Elsa still couldn't will herself to jump across the room and grab her younger sister, however much she wanted to.

"Do you know why I've been avoiding you?" _Because I failed you, _Elsa thought silently to herself, the sound of Anna's voice doing nothing to calm her nerves. Her heart ran a thousand beats a minute and she could barely speak, but she managed to squeak out one word.

"Yes." Anna turned to face her sister, a look of forced contempt upon her face. Elsa knew she was _definitely_ hiding something, but was too nervous to ask.

"Then you realize the predicament we're in." Anna rose from her chair, looking more confident now. As she walked over to a small table with a fat book on it, she continued her monologue. "I am to be married at the solstice of this year, with the selection of my groom being in less than three months." She stole a brief look back at Elsa before continuing, "and I have all the council meeting minutes delivered to my room. I know what's been going on, probably better than you do." Anna sounded almost cocky with a hint of nervousness building in her voice. Feeling slightly more comfortable but still just as tense, Elsa kept her eyes on her sister, unwilling to interrupt. "I also know that _you _are to make the decision as to whom my suitor must be," picking up the book as she spoke, "and that you also _promised me_ to use your power as Queen to make me happy," she started to saunter over as she spoke, "So I assume that you will let me pick my spouse and will approve whomever I chose. Am I correct?"

Elsa managed a nod, still to nervous to speak. She had grown comfortable in her chair, but nowhere near enough to speak out at her sister.

"Good, then we are _almost_ on the same page. Just one final thing to-" she slammed the book down, "-take care of." The book was massive and looked older than the castle itself. Elsa read the title in the dim light: _Magic and its Many Purposes: A Study of How Magic Can Benefit the Common People_. Elsa Couldn't make out the author's name without more light.

"Turn to chapter 12, page 597." Elsa did exactly as her sister commanded, and couldn't help but feel exited. She was finally doing _something_ with Anna after two weeks of silence. She moved a shaky hand to the cover of the book and attempted to pull it open. She had to stand up to get enough leverage, but after struggling for a few seconds, she was able to force it on its spine, and she began her search for chapter 12. _What are you doing, say something! _This meeting wasn't going _at all_ how Elsa imagined it. Instead of a healthy discussion it was a one-sided lecture from Anna; how was Elsa going to convince her to-

Elsa read the title of the chapter, and for the first time in two weeks, she finally understood the words on the page before her. She wasn't sure how to feel about her sudden reading abilities, as she wasn't enjoying the meaning behind these words.

_No. It can't be… she can't be… _

_It's not possible! Does this mean….?_

_No, of course not! But…_

"_What?"_ Elsa let out, a mix between a whisper and a yell. She hadn't quite mustered the strength to speak, but the word slipped out anyways. Her heart was pounding, her hands shaking and her face flushed read; if she understood the reason why her sister put this book in front of her, then-

"Do you realize what I want, Elsa?"

"I...I…Anna…we… I can't…."

"But you _must_. You _promised _me, Elsa. This is what being honest feels like." Anna sounded like she was smiling, and when Elsa looked up from the book with her mouth agape, eyebrows raised and eyes wide, Anna couldn't help but let a smile creak out from the corners of her lips. The young princess tried not to have an _I told you so _look on her face, but she couldn't help it as her sister stared at her in shock. With both sisters unsure of how to proceed, they both just stood in the dark in front of the dying fire, looking at one another with mixed expressions on their faces.

To say what happened next surprised them both is a gross understatement.


	3. Peace

Only four days remained until the Mid-Winter Ball and the entire city buzzed with anticipation. Banners were flying, the streets were cleared of snow and the people were giddy with anticipation. The recent influx of foreigners came as a welcome boost to Arendelle's businesses, with inns filling up and shopkeepers rushing to keep their shelves stocked. This was the biggest event in the kingdom since the coronation, and no expense had been spared for the first ball of many that would determine who would marry princess Anna. Spirits were high and people were happy; this was the beginning of a prosperous time for Arendelle. Everyone was happy, it seemed, except for the Queen. Rumors were also spreading about the princess; her absence from the public was the source for most of the recent gossip.

Unfortunately for her potential suitors, the princess was out of sight. Many thought that it was odd the princess, whom they had come so far to court, was absent from their initial meeting with the Queen of Arendelle, but some ambitious princes took this as a challenge, the start of a game that they each saw as a way to win the princess' heart.

Elsa easily spotted the difference between the two types of suitors; the ones who merely left dejected, wondering why the princess was gone, were no match for the others who were full of flattery and pride, always marching out of the castle with a look of pride smacked across their faces.

_This is disgusting_ Elsa often thought to herself. _Why am I even doing this? I can't believe that these men think this is a game, that Anna is a prize, a reward for good behavior and large sums of gold. How crude. It's not like any of them have much of a chance…_

She stopped herself before her mind wandered farther than it should. Her agreement with Anna was tentative at best, but after their little get together two days ago…

Elsa's manner had improved slightly over the past two days, but not to the point where she could actively pay attention to what these unimportant people were saying. Seeing Anna again helped, but not even the council could properly hold her attention, not that they cared. Instead, Elsa continued her internal mental struggle, debating her next move in this unfortunate endeavor. She had to approach this the right way or Arendelle would be dealing with a lot more than a few dozen suitors. One wrong move, one false step and everything she was planning would be in vain. For the first time in her life she had to be cool and calm in her approach instead of running and hiding from her problems.

Most of the day was spent on her throne, greeting the dignitaries from at least two dozen kingdoms, half of which Elsa had only a passing memory of. She couldn't think of a worse way to spend her time, especially after what happened with Anna in the library. How she had let the council talk her in to doing this was beyond her.

_Probably because you weren't paying attention, just like when you agreed to marry off…_

…_Anna_ she thought again, mind wandering to her sister. Their little rendezvous hadn't gone as Elsa planned. Instead of being a calculated conversation, a way to convince her sister to marry a man of her choosing, the meeting was turned on its head after Anna revealed her true reason for calling her sister to the library. Elsa never would have imagined Anna acting the way she did; her sister became so authoritative, so full of confidence and power, even when she faltered slightly. Elsa couldn't stop thinking about her, about when they would meet next, about the next step to take…

But those thoughts would have to wait; a more pressing matter lay before the Queen than how she would spend her evening with her younger sister. One of the first things that came to mind was Anna's continuing role in managing the kingdom. Ever since her coronation, Elsa allowed Anna to participate in ruling, sharing her power as much as she could. Anna quickly learned the finer points of navigating a royal court, and before long she could hold her own in front of nobles and lords, all trying to grab power from the new young monarch. At first, Elsa thought it would be too much for the young, bubbly princess but Anna proved to be a talented negotiator and diplomat, skills invaluable to any ruler. She became the sole reason Elsa managed to stay sane; between spending time with her sister and managing half of her kingdom, Anna became the light in Elsa's life, her very reason for living. The previous two weeks were even more hellish in comparison.

But Elsa wouldn't have to worry about losing Anna ever again, or at least she hoped she wouldn't. The only way the two could be separated now was if….

_That would never happen, you'll make sure of it. You can protect her, and if anyone tries to hurt her…_

_But what if someone tries to hurt you, or what if…._

_No, I won't allow myself to event think that way. It won't come to that, I know it. We'll put up a façade, make everything think one way when we really feel another, hide our true intentions for what we're going to do. By the gods I hope this works…_

The rest of her day was spent in a similar manner, mentally arguing with herself, justifying her plan of action and trying to seem interested in whatever was going on around her. But most of all, the Queen was concentrated on what happened with Anna in the library.

* * *

_Both Elsa and Anna would later lay claim to instigating the act, but truthfully, neither of them knew who started it. _

_Before either of them knew what was happening, Elsa's mouth was covered by none other than her sister's, leaving both of them confused, happy, and unsure, but most of all hungry for more._

_Elsa broke the kiss after an eternity had passed, only to be recaptured (or did she do the "capturing"?) by her sister's lips. She was still trying to process what was happening, but finding herself unable to do anything coherent, Elsa let instinct take over her actions. _

_After several minutes Elsa found herself underneath her sister on the table in front of the flickering fire. They hadn't broken their embrace, and their kiss had deepened, mouths sliding over each other as they moaned, for pleasure or confusion neither was sure. Elsa wanted so badly to end what they were doing. _This is wrong!_ she told herself, but if they stopped Elsa would be in no state to say _anything_, so she kept on pressing on. _

_Her hands ran down her sister's back, pressing her body closer to her own._

Gods, Anna feels good_._ I had no idea that I could be this way towards Anna…

_But as her mind began to wander, Anna broke the kiss, propping herself up on her elbows._

"_Umm.. so…"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_So you'll…"_

"_Of course," was the last thing Elsa remembered saying before she started crying. Looking into her sister's teal eyes, full of love and desire, made her understand. _Anna was hiding because she loved you! Don't you see? _She smiled as tears ran down her face, not knowing what to do next. Anna just smiled stupidly at her sister, holding back tears of her own._

"_You're mine, now, and I want _you_ to marry me, not any of those princes. Do you hear?" Elsa nodded, not able to form words at the moment. She continued to stare back at her sister, a mix of emotions washing over her face. Her smile weakened and her eyes stung from crying as she tried to compose herself. Elsa was glad to be back with her sister, but she knew that they would both have an impossible road ahead of them. While there was precedent for royal siblings to marry, never in the history of her house had there been a same-sex marriage. How will everyone react, how will the suitors react?_

"_Alright, I think that it's high time you get to bed. You've had a long day, my Queen, and you have an even longer day tomorrow, what with dignitaries and princes arriving from who-gives-a-shit." Anna was giggling at her choice of words, a small blush forming on the Queen's cheeks. "What? I don't! Give a shit, that is. Now come on, let's go." Elsa let herself be led by her younger sister to her bedroom. Once they arrived, Anna made sure that Elsa was neatly in her bed before saying goodbye._

"_We'll talk tomorrow. I love you, Elsa," was the last thing Anna said before she sauntered out of her older sister's room, leaving the Queen just as nervous, confused and flustered as before._

What the _fuck_ just happened?

* * *

Sleep eluded Elsa that, too focused on what had just happened between her and her sister. The next night was no different. Anna had to cancel their "planned meeting" she alluded to, so tonight would be their first time speaking since…the incident. The deprived Queen sat on her throne as yet another dignitary washed through the entrance to the Great Hall. A crier appeared in the entryway, announcing the names of his host.

"Presenting King Kro…" was all that Elsa had the attention to hear before drifting back to thoughts of Anna. She would have fallen asleep if the thought of her sister wasn't so tantalizing. The pair didn't know what to do now that their feelings were known to one another, so Anna decided to keep her distance as she had done for the past two weeks. Elsa was still reeling from what happened, and didn't know how she felt about her sister.

_I love her, but do I lover her like…_

_I…I think so, but…._

…_but what if I don't?_

_Nonsense! Of course you love her! You kissed her back, right?_

_But how long has she loved me? How long has she sat patiently, not saying or doing anything to offend me for fear of retribution? How long have I tortured my sister?_

_Stop it. If you're going to have a healthy…relationship…. with Anna, you're going to have to stop blaming yourself. Besides, you were the one who started the kiss, right?_

Her thoughts continued to trail off towards her sister for the rest of the day. Dignitaries came and went, most of whom were disappointed that the princess was absent. The Queen hardly paid any attention by this point, however, as she was too busy planning on what she was going to say to Anna later that night, planning their next move.

* * *

After dinner Elsa finally found time to seek out her sister. As she was walking towards Anna's room she passed the council chamber, and heard voices coming from inside! She stopped to listen to what the voices were saying, a first for the young Queen.

"…over seventy kingdoms present! This shall be quite a spectacle, and we have spared no expense! Over four hundred thousand have been spent, and the city couldn't be happier. We shall receive our guests with grace, and we can start rebuilding the tarnished name of our kingdom. Now, Your Majesty, what were…"

_What!?_

"_Your Majesty?"_

_Who was in there? What was the council doing, meeting behind her back? Was someone planning a coup, or was…_

_Anna._

_But why?_

Elsa didn't stick around long enough to find out why her sister was meeting with the council behind her back, but she was sure as hell going to find out. She hurried off to Anna's room to lie in wait, to catch her sister in the act…

Elsa had less than five minutes to herself before she heard footsteps coming. She passed the time by snooping around her sister's room, unable to control herself. She had missed Anna _so much_ over the passed two weeks that she forgot her sinister motives and began looking around her sister's room with a sense of longing. It was an utter mess by any standards, with clothes and sheets splayed all across her floor. A desk in the corner caught her eye, but not for long. Elsa spotted an open book on Anna's bed, and her curiosity got the better of her.

_I shouldn't be doing this…._ Elsa apprehensively picked up the book, scanning over its contents. Before she could procure and information, the doorknob turned and Anna appeared in the doorway.

"Elsa! Wha- what are you doing here? You usually go to your study after dinner…"

"Yeah, but I wanted to see you, so I came here after I finished. I wanted to talk about…."

"I know, I know. I'm- sorry that I've been avoiding you, it's just- I needed some time to think, you know? It's been a weird two weeks for both of us, and I just thought that if I-"

"Anna, I understand," the corners of her lips rising as she said those last few words. She bridged the gab between her and her sister as she continued. "I've been thinking a lot too, about… us, about our…."

"Marriage?"

"Yeah… and listen, we need to set some ground rules, to maintain appearances."

"Oh I'm way ahead of you!" Anna grinned as Elsa stood before her. The Princess turned to close the door and she returned to face her sister. "We have to make this look like a last-ditch option, like neither of us wants it…" her gaze fell to the floor as she trailed off, "Event though… even though we…"

"Anna."

"Yeah?" Elsa slowly reached out and took her sister's face in her hands, planting a small kiss in her forehead.

"I… I want this. I want us to be together, and what better way to do that? We'll never be apart, we-"

"I wasn't talking about that."

"What?"

"When I said that we wanted this…" her gaze wandered off again, avoiding her sister.

"Oh Anna, I… I don't…" a look of apprehension formed on her face, her smile replaced with a frown.

"What? Don't love me? Don't think of me as more, more than just a silly younger sister with a perverted mind? What, then?!" Anna snapped out of Elsa's embrace and started waving her arms around, accusing her sister. She was practically shouting even thought Elsa stood directly in front of her.

"No, Anna, I _do _love you… like that, I just, I need time, alright? I've been thinking a lot, and…"

"Yeah, I've been thinking a lot too, Elsa. About how you never pay attention, how you half-ass everything, how you can't seem to get your head out of your ass!"

"Anna!"

"It's true! I've been running the kingdom while you daydream about how to rip my heart into shreds! Ever since you _stupidly_ agreed to marry me off I've been holding secret council meeting so that shit like that _doesn't happen again_. You need to pull yourself together Elsa, people are trying to tear you apart!" Anna was full-on shouting now, tears running down her eyes. There was something she needed to say and Elsa wasn't sure that she wanted to hear it.

They never broke eye contact. After a moment of angry glares from Anna, Elsa, just barely above a whisper, asked a simple question that had been weighing on her mind.

"How long?"

"What?" Anna barked back, caught off guard and not expecting to hear a response.

"I said, how long? How long have you been in love with me?"

Anna broke her glare and walked to the other side of her room, shoes pounding against the floor with each step. She stopped and looked out her window. It had stopped snowing.

"Three months" _Oh Gods, I was right. I _have _been torturing her!_

"And you just now decided to tell me?"

"Oh no, this isn't about me, this is about _you, _Elsa! We're not done talking about how you-"

"WHY, Anna, did you wait _three months_ to tell me?" Elsa found something from deep inside her that she didn't know existed. She felt hurt after that outburst and tried not to break down in front of Anna.

"Because," came her weak reply," Because I was afraid. I- I told Kristoff-"

"You told _him_ and not _me?_" Elsa was more hurt than angry, but she found that she could feed off her anger.

"Yes, Elsa I did. I told Kristoff because… because I didn't know what it was like to have a sister."

Silence.

"I-I started feeling strange, Elsa. I wanted to be around you all the time, and I still do! But I told Kristoff the way I feel towards you, the things I want to do with you, the roles we play in each other's lives, and he said that my feelings were…atypical for sisters to have."

More silence.

Anna turned to face Elsa, her eyebrows arched and a small frown on her face. She was nervous. Her eyes were read and Elsa thought she could see her sister holding back tears.

"I… I love you Elsa, and I'm scared. Sister's don't feel this way towards their sisters, and… I don't know what to do…" with those words Anna started crying, collapsing where she stood. Elsa rand to comfort her sister, only to be swatted away. But Elsa wasn't going to give up on Anna.

She thought about what she was going to say, and as she sat down Elsa put her right hand around Anna and her left on her chin, forcing her sister to look up at her. She took a deep breath and prepared for what was to come.

"I love you. Not just as a sister, but-" she couldn't finish that last part as her mouth was muffled by Anna's lips, tears still running down her cheeks. Shocked at first, Elsa eased into the kiss, returning her lover's fervor. _Gods, this feels so right._ Elsa made a decision right there on her sister's floor, a vow she kept until the day they both died: She would never hurt Anna again. She tried for fourteen years to keep that promise only to fail when it mattered the most; Elsa wouldn't fail Anna, her sister, her _lover_, again.

Anna ended the kiss, pulling back to look at her sister. Elsa wiped up her sister's tears and Anna smiled, pulling Elsa into a close hug. It felt so right for both of them that they never wanted it to end.

"Will you sleep here tonight?"

"Sure. But you have a lot of explaining to do, you brat!" they laughed as they pulled themselves closer, finding themselves resting against the foot of Anna's bed. Elsa stroked her sister's back as Anna rested her head against the crook of her sister's neck, closing her eyes to enjoy the moment. _How did this happen?_ _We went from discussing rules to confessing our love._ But it didn't matter to Elsa. As she held her sister, gingerly stroking her back, Elsa was happy. She was truly _happy_, something of a rarity for the young queen.

Finally, Elsa was at peace.


	4. Rules

Just as she promised, Elsa spent the night in Anna's bed, and when she woke a blissful smile warmed its way across her face. The Queen looked down at the younger girl splayed across her like a piece of old rope, all flayed and mangled. Her hair was a wild mane, sticking out it all directions as it dominated Elsa's vision. She held on to her younger sister, unwilling to let go this treasure that by some miracle had been gifted to her. _Gods know I did nothing to deserve this_ she thought to herself, remembering all the times she ignored Anna, pushed her away and made her suffer. The past two weeks left Elsa with the tables turned, shut out and unable to function. _How did Anna do it for fourteen years? How did _I _do it? _Elsa didn't want to go down that road, because she knew the next person she thought of wouldn't be Anna.

As Elsa resumed watching Anna sleep, the young princess began to stir in the morning light.

"Gmrrn..Ersa…" she mumbled, still drifting in and out of consciousness. Elsa giggled, pleased at watching Anna wake up, something she hadn't done since…

As Anna awoke, she shifted over and planted a sloppy kiss on Elsa's lips, taking the Queen by surprise. As she broke the contact, Anna settled into her sister's embrace, trying to fall back asleep in her sister's arms. Elsa wasn't sure how to react; that was their first kiss without either of them being emotionally unstable. Each new step in their relationship was entirely foreign, like a gift waiting to be unwrapped.

"Anna, it's time to get up. We have a big day ahead of us, and we have a lot of-hrmph!"

"Shmmmh…." Anna mumbled, her hand blocking Elsa's mouth. "Sleeep…" Elsa couldn't help but smile even wider.

"No, Anna, we need to get up. Come on, I'll help you get around. Breakfast is soon, and we don't-" Anna's hand cut her off again, but this time its owner looked up at the offending party.

"Shhh… I have my handmaiden bring me my breakfast. We wont miss anything…" a smile crept its way onto Anna's lips as she let the silence grow between the two. "Just…rest."

"OK" was all Elsa said, falling victim to her sister's command. She owed her this, at least. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't enjoying holding her sister, the woman she loved so dearly…

That was going to take some getting used to, seeing Anna in that light. Elsa was sure that in the end, she and her sister would grow accustomed to being lovers, but for the moment, they would have to awkwardly bumble through the transition of being close friends and sisters to an even closer couple. She had no idea how to move forward with their relationship, and she had a feeling that Anna didn't either. _We'll just have to figure this out. _She wondered for a split second how their parents proceeded with their romantic relationship, but realized her mistake. She immediately felt herself filled with regret, a scowl replacing her cheerful smile.

_What are we doing? This isn't right! We _have_ to stop this…_

_No. You've gone too far. You _love _each other, this _can't_ be wrong._

_You're going to have to deal with backlash, though. Very few people, if any, are going to support a marriage between two sisters. This could even lead to…_

"S'matter?" came a groggy Anna, a look of worry on her face. "You look sad. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking… trying to think of a plan for dealing with the backlash that's going to come with our announcement. What are people going to think of us? What if- what if they-"

"Elsa, stop worrying. You don't know the future, and worrying right now won't make things better. All you're doing is stressing me out, so stop it!" Anna forced a small smile, trying to comfort her sister. Elsa reciprocated the gesture, a faint smile easing her face.

"That's better. Feels good to smile, doesn't it?" she had a goofy grin spreading across her face as she spoke, forcing Elsa to smile even wider.

"Yeah. Thanks, Anna. What would I do without you?" at that, the sisters stared into each other's eyes, captivated by the other's presence. Elsa's eyes darted down to look at her sister's lips, and only one thing was on her mind. Just as their lips were about to touch, the door opened and the sister quickly separated.

"Good morning, Your High- Oh, Your Majesty, I wasn't expecting you here!"

"It's quite alright, Hilda," Anna quipped, beating Elsa to the point. "Elsa had a bad dream last night, and I _insisted_ that she sleep in my room," seeming quite proud of herself, Anna sat up, looking down at her sister with a smirk and a wink.

"Oh- well, I only brought enough food for Your Highness, so if Your Majesty requires more-"

"She'll be fine, Hilda. Thank you, you can leave the tray next to my bed," she motioned her handmaiden to set the food down next to where she was sitting. "We'll be out in an hour, don't bother checking in on us," she finished with a smile, looking back at Elsa.

"Alright then, here you go, and I'll just-"

"Thank you, Hilda. That will be all," and with that the handmaiden was gone and Elsa was smitten. She lay on the bed as Anna picked up a plate of eggs and took a bite, enjoying the luxury of breakfast in bed. "Want shome? Ish rilly good!"

"Anna, don't talk with your mouth full!" Elsa giggled, sitting up next to her sister. "And yes, I would love some breakfast." Her stomach made a deep guttural growling as she smelled the hot eggs.

"Here, have a bite," Anna put a heaping fork full of eggs next to Elsa's mouth, and the Queen bit down, taking in every bit of savor the eggs had.

"Mmmmm… thesh are _good_ eggsh," which in truth they were nothing special, but Elsa couldn't help but blush at the fact that she had practically swallowed the same fork Anna had just used. _I could get used to this…_

"Well I'm glad you like them, because I don't think they're all that great. Maybe the ones you got tasted better…" Being the oblivious fool she was, Elsa had no idea what Anna was about to do. Elsa let out a small yelp as Anna forced her jaw open, running her tongue over the inside of her mouth. When she pulled away, Elsa's mouth was hanging open, eyes wide and eggs and saliva running over her lips.

"Mmm, you're right, yours _did _taste better," Anna giggled with a tinge of red appearing on her face. Elsa wasn't sure how to process what was happening, so she did whatever felt right. This time, she instigated the kiss. She grabbed onto her sister, holding her close as they jammed their mouths together. Anna let out a small moan, just loud enough for Elsa to hear. Encouraged by her lover, Elsa moved her body on top of Anna, forcing her down on the bed.

"You… taste….like….eggs…." Anna managed between kissing. Elsa froze at that last word, looking awkwardly down at her sister. She broke the kiss, propping herself up above Anna.

"What was that?"

"But you do!"

"So does that mean you don't want to kiss me anymore?" she asked with a playful tone, pouting out her bottom lip. _I'm going to have fun with this_. She may not know what the hell she was doing, but she was enjoying every second of it.

"Wha- Elsa! Stop it!" she hit her sister, grinning at the banter she elicited.

"Alright, we need to get ready. You told Hilda we'd be out in an hour, and I'm pretty sure it's been twenty minutes already…"

"Then what are we waiting for! Come on!" Anna crawled out from beneath her sister, leaving Elsa still propped up on her elbows and an awkward stare still on her face. "Well? Are you coming?" Anna beckoned from her closet, stripping off her nightgown and throwing on her dress for the day. It was a plain green dress meant for daily wear, just barely suitable for a royal. Nothing was special about it, but Anna looked just as stunning as ever to Elsa as she stood in front of her sister.

"Alright, I'm coming," she finally replied, taking in the welcome sight of her younger sister. "I'm just taking in the view," a smirk replacing the gawking expression on her face. As she rose from the bed, she looked at what she was wearing. _Looks like a day for an ice dress_, and with the flick of her hands and some forethought, she formed a dress of woven ice over her skin. It comforted her, the ice, enveloping her in a familiar…warmth? That didn't seem like the right word to describe what she was feeling, yet…it seemed appropriate. Ice and the cold didn't affect her like normal people did, so it was only natural that her ice dress was just as comforting as a cotton one would be.

Elsa was so caught up in her usual mental banter about the feeling of her dress that she didn't realize Anna drooling over her. When she finally met her sister's gaze, Elsa saw the princess cover up her face and look away, embarrassed that she had been caught in the act. "Don't be nervous, it's OK to look, Anna." She smiled as she walked over to her sister. She laughed when she realized they both had yet to fix their hair. "Why don't we manage that feisty mane of yours, hmm?" she asked as she took Anna's chin in her hand.

"O-Ok," was the response Anna gave, locking eyes to her sister. "You know how I like it, right? Two braids, remember?"

"Yes, Anna, I remember. I've done your hair enough times over the past five months to know how you like to wear it. Now sit down and we'll get this under control."

She was going to take her time this morning. Elsa had done up her sister's hair dozens of times prior, but this was different. She needed to approach this subject carefully and hoped that as long as she was helping Anna do her hair, she wouldn't freak out. As she started on her sister's hair, Elsa decided to shift the conversation towards the topic she was dreading.

"So about those ground rules we mentioned…"

"Oh, yeah, I have some ideas of how we could make this…us… work. We can't show any public displays of affection, no holding hands or touching unless absolutely necessary."

"But Anna, that's less than we already do right now. What's so wrong if I want to hold your hand or walk arm in arm, or do… other things?" she felt a blush creeping up on her face and was glad her sister couldn't see her.

"Elsa, we have to put on a show. People have to think that this is forced, an option of last resort."

"It _is_ an option of last resort."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" Elsa could tell that she'd said the wrong thing, wanting to recant her words. _Dammit, Elsa, why can't you just keep your mouth shut!_

"Ugh…Anna, It's just that-"

"No, Elsa, this _isn't _a last resort option for me. I _want_ to do this, there's no other person alive whom I'd rather spend my life with. Are you telling me you don't feel the same way?" Elsa could sense the apprehension in her sister's voice and did her best to calm her.

"No, what I'm saying is… is that I would have preferred our relationship to remain a secret, so tha-"

"Wait, _WHAT? _Elsa, I know that what we have isn't normal by any means, but are you _ashamed_ of how you feel?"

"A little, yes! And besides, this'll just crea-"

"_Ashamed? _Elsa-" Anna spun around, her hair half braided, "I _love_ you. I don't just love you like people say to each other in passing, but I love you with a true love that burns from the source of my being. I am _not _ashamed at what I feel, and neither should you be!" Elsa sighed in defeat. Her sister was proving to be feistier than she could handle.

"Look, Anna, my love, my reason for living, I love you just as deeply, if not more, it's just…" her gaze fell to the floor and Elsa found herself more interested in the color of the carpet than the color of her sister's hair. "I've had less time to process my feelings. I'm still learning what it's like to love someone in this way. Hell, you're the only person whose company I enjoy, Anna! _You are my only friend._ Just… give me some time. I still have guilt left over from…" she couldn't even complete her thought. It's not like she had to, because Anna instantly wrapped herself around her older sister.

"Don't worry, I'm here. I'm sorry if I got mad at you. I know that you love me and that… you'll always protect me." She whispered these comforts into Elsa's ear as she rested her head on her shoulder, unsure of what to do next. "Umm… Elsa? Mind finishing the job you started?" Elsa couldn't help but chuckle at her sister. Elsa was doing her best to hold back tears, and thanks to Anna, she remained somewhat composed. She stepped behind her sister and went back to work on her left braid.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything, for understanding, for loving me, for not giving up on me… thank you."

Silence enveloped the room after Elsa finished speaking, both girls hesitant to proceed. Twice they tried to discuss rules for their relationship, and twice they ended up in tears. _How are we going to function together? This is insane!_ Elsa had to think of a way to approach the subject of what the future held without destroying herself or her sister.

"There, done!" She stepped back and admired her work. Elsa wasn't sure if it was because she was smitten or because Anna was radiantly beautiful, but she couldn't tell a difference in her sister's appearance with her hair done properly. Messy or clean, Anna was always her princess, and Elsa found her amazing either way.

Anna then began to braid her sister's hair, the conversation still dead in its tracks.

"So," Anna asked tentatively, "what are the plans for today?"

"Oh, mostly boring stuff. I'm scheduled to greet something like two dozen royal families, all wanting to get their grubby hands on you. Luckily," she grinned, "_you _are already spoken for!" the sisters giggled at Elsa's words, taking comfort in the implications of what they meant. "But it remains my duty to sit my ass on my throne and listen to why lord who-cares wants to marry you. Doesn't sound very fun, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Anna sighed, almost finished with her sister's hair. "But we all have duties to attend to. I set up a council meeting while you greet the incoming assholes to finalize the plans for the ball." _That reminds me…_

"Anna, I know you meant well, but why did you set up private council meetings?" she tried not to sound condescending, but she couldn't help but feel hurt and the slightest bit angry at the memory of eavesdropping on her sister's meeting last night. Anna had finished with her hair: a tight bun with a crown braid to hold her tiara. Elsa stepped back to look at her sister as she gave her rebuttal.

"Elsa, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that, well, you weren't really yourself these past few weeks-"

"-and we both know why that is!"

"Anyways, I'm really sorry, but I still wanted to know what was going on and have a say just like I have been over the past five months. I almost felt like it was my place, my right as a princess to-"

"No, you're right. It's perfectly acceptable for you to call the council to meet, I told you that when you first started getting involved. I shouldn't be angry."

"Then are we good? Are we on the same page, ready to go out and tackle the world?"

"...Yeah, I suppose. C'mon, let's go. We have a big day ahead of us."

As the sisters left Anna's room, they parted ways, with Anna heading towards the council chamber and Elsa to the Grand Hall. _Shit, I forgot my crown_ Elsa swore as she hurried off to her room to retrieve her crown. _Wait, did I just say… Anna must be rubbing off on me. _She smiled at that last thought, but she was in a hurry. Just as she was about to run off in an all-out sprint, Iris, her handmaiden, stopped her.

"Your Grace, I Hilda informed me that you spent the night in your sister's room, so I thought you'd be needing-" she reached for something encased in a cloth sheath-"this," and she pulled out Elsa's tiara. _That damn tiara has caused me so much trouble!_ She remembered how she nearly had to melt her snowman guard she left to guard her ice castle in order to get it back.

"Thank you, Iris, you appeared to have read my mind." She lowered her head and allowed her handmaiden to affix the tiara, putting the finishing touches on her regal appearance. Elsa turned from Iris to walk back to the Grand Hall, already late for her first round of hell…

* * *

If Elsa was distracted before, she was unreachable now that she had a new way to think about Anna. Her head was running a thousand miles an hour, racing to think of how to deal with her newfound feelings for her sister. It all seemed so rushed, but she welcomed it with open arms.

_Is this normal?_

_Of course not, she's your sister!_

_But certainly people who are in love…_

_And that one time Anna…._

That was one place she dare not go. Elsa could hardly stand to even exchange correspondence with the Southern Isles, let alone think about what her sister did with-

"Your Majesty!" boomed the man standing to address her. When she snapped her head towards him, distracted from her train of thought, he smiled. "Good, I'm glad I have your attention. My name is Gustavo, I am from…"

And just like that, Elsa was back again. No man could truly hold her attention like thoughts of Anna could, so the Queen simply nodded when it seemed appropriate and tried to seem interested, even if she was obviously lost in her thoughts. Besides being overwhelmed with the enormity of the situation at hand, Elsa was flustered with the sudden nature of her impeding wedding.

She had never really given much thought to being married; Elsa always imagined that her father would arrange for some lord or prince to wed her, but she never lost herself in the details like she did with her other interests. Marriage seemed like a far off life event that would be planned and calculated, decided without her and for the good of the kingdom. Never would she have thought that she'd be marrying the love of her life, and she would have _never_ suspected whom that person would be. She always loved Anna with all of her heart, but it seemed like their years apart with no name to attach to her love resulted in more than sisterly feelings between the two.

_Oh father, look at what you've done!_

_No, it's not his fault, he didn't make you love your sister like this…_

That was the easy road out, to blame her father. She hadn't noticed it, but Elsa exceedingly tried to pin her failures and pitfalls to her father's mistakes. But she couldn't just throw all of her shortcomings at a man who was dead, that wasn't fair and it was far too easy.

"…So I'll see you soon?" the man in front of her had finished, and Elsa thought it polite to acknowledge this.

"Very well, of course," _say something else, you don't want to lead him on! _"The ball is in three days, I'll be seeing all the guests there. Until then." She finished, trying to sound regal. _Did I really just tune out everything he just said? _The next twenty-three guests were no different.

* * *

After the last party of dignitaries finally left, Elsa excused herself from the Great Hall, exhausted and sore from sitting all day. Just as she was about to head to her room to look over any paperwork that needed her attention, she was stopped by one of the servants.

"Your Grace, I was told to deliver this to you," she said as the servant handed the Queen a small envelope, sealed with wax.

"Thank you. Who sent this to me?"

"The Princess Anna, Your Grace. She told me it was urgent, and to give it to you as soon as you were done greeting the guests."

"Very well. You are dismissed," she said as she looked down at the envelope, turning it a few times in her hands. _Why did Anna go through all of this trouble just to-_

But her questions were answered as she opened the letter. The Queen turned a shade of red that would not be expected from reading a letter from her sister, and she quickly stuffed the letter back into the envelope. Elsa hurried off to Anna's chambers, the last few words stuck in her mind.

_My Room. Now._

The last time the princess was so brief with the Queen… Elsa tried not to think about what was about to happen.

* * *

When she finally reached Anna's room, Elsa was out of breath and extremely nervous. She hesitantly turned the knob as she peered in cautiously, not knowing what to expect. When she didn't see Anna, she began to panic.

"Anna?" she called out into the void that was her sister's room, expecting a response.

"Oh Elsaaa…." Came a sultry reply, emanating from a couch in front of the fire place. "I'm over here…." Anna whispered, barely audible to her older sister. Elsa quickly shut the door as she made her way over to the couch, fully expecting to find her sister naked. As she peered over the side of the cushions, she couldn't have been more mistaken. She must have had a look somewhere between lustful and curious on her face, because Anna immediately broke out in laughter.

"Stop it!"

"Oh, you should see your face!" she bellowed between laughs, unable to contain herself. "What did you expect, for me to be naked?"

"…maybe…" Elsa looked to the side and mumbled her response so that Anna couldn't hear her.

"What was that, love? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your nervous heart," she sat up as she said those words, draping her words in a seductive tone as she eyed her older sister.

"I… I didn't know what to expect, OK? It's just, the last…the other day…"

"You remember the last time I sent you so few words, and how did _that _turn out?" she smiled with an air of pride lighting up her face, still lacing her words with a uniquely attractive voice.

"Anna…" Elsa was looking directly at her now, a small frown on her face, eyebrows scrunched upwards in a mask of pity. "Don't tease me like that! I spent all day thinking about you, and you-"

"Wait, you spent _the entire time_ thinking about me?"

"Yeah, who else would I be thinking about?" a small smile made its way onto her face as she said those words, her face easing out of its previous state. "You _ruin_ me, Anna." _Now it's _my _turn, _or so she thought.

"Oh Elsa, it's so cute when you try to be seductive." Anna giggled as she got up from the couch, her gaze never leaving Elsa's. "But why don't we have some dinner. You probably had to skip lunch, right?" Elsa nodded, not wanting to speak at the moment. "Thought so. I had Hilda bring us a big dinner, told her that I needed to fill you in since you've been missing council meetings, what with more and more dignitaries arriving every day. Say, how is that? I bet most of them are fat and ugly. Fat, ugly men prancing about in-"

"Anna!"

"What?"

"Your rambling. Stop it." Elsa couldn't help but smile at her sister's cute habit. She loved the way she could just forget anyone was listening to her and rattle off useless words, not caring about what anyone thought of her.

"So? I bet you think it's cute!" she shot back with a puff of pride in her voice. "Now come, sit, we have a lot to discuss."

Elsa followed her sister over to a small table in the corner of her room. Laid out before her was a simple meal of mixed vegetables and some sort of meat. Regardless, Elsa sat down and devoured what Anna had brought for her. Forgoing all queenly manners, Elsa wolfed down giant hunks of meat and broccoli, famished from the day's activities. Her mind wandered to her previous meal and a blush made its way up to her cheeks when she remembered that she and Anna had shared eggs…

"Elsa, calm down! Your food isn't going anywhere."

"But… I'm sho…ngry!" was all Elsa managed between bites and drinks of whatever Anna had her handmaiden bring. Some sort of exotic juice. "I hant etn aw day!"

"Stop, you're picking up my bad habits! What would anyone say if they saw you like this, the Queen of Arendelle stuffing turkey down her throat! Most unladylike…"

_Unladylike? Oh I'll show her! _When Anna wasn't looking at her, Elsa tossed a bean at her sister's head.

"Did you just…" another bean, this time directly in Anna's view. "Oh IT IS ON!"

The two quickly became involved in an intense food fight, with meat and carrots and who knows what flying everywhere. Running out of ammo, Elsa decided to conjure up a snowball. When it hit its target, Anna froze.

"Did you just…" but she was cut off by another snowball with its owner giggling behind Anna's bed. "Ok then, but you gotta level the playing field! Make it snow!"

So she did. Instantly the room was covered in four inches of snow, and Anna found it much too cold to bear. But that didn't stop her from gathering up a huge pile of the white powder and hurling towards where her sister was hiding. Elsa made sure to act surprised when she felt snow land in her lap and stifled a giggle as she let out a shriek. Anna made her way over to where her sister was sitting and threw another one right at her face, covering up the goofy grin Elsa couldn't help but wear. Satisfied with her progress, Anna sat down in her sister's lap, wiping off the snow she had just thrown at her. They were both laughing and smiling at each other, neither one wanting the moment to end.

"When was the last time we had this much fun?" Anna asked, not knowing what she just said. Elsa thought for a moment, then stopped smiling when she realized the answer to her question. _I can't believe we still haven't talked about this, it's been five months!_ Elsa looked at her shivering sister, memories of that fateful night forever burned into her memory. Looking at the state she had put her sister in, Anna tried to comfort her. "I'm sorry, I didn't- I don't-….sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." She had no idea why Elsa looked so dejected, but she wished she could take bake whatever she said or did to make her feel this way.

"No, it's ok. We need to have this talk"

"What talk?"

"About…stuff," was all Elsa could manage. She motioned for Anna to stand up so that she could unfreeze the room, and after she did they sat down on the bed.

"So… where do I begin," Elsa contemplated out loud, scanning the room before focusing on her sister. She gathered her thoughts for a moment and decided on a course of action. "Do you know why mama and papa kept us apart for as long as they did?" an awkward silence filled the air as her sister contemplated the question.

"Not exactly, no. I know that it had something to do with your powers. I never even knew that they were keeping you away, I always thought…."

Elsa let her sister finish her thought. "…thought that you did it on purpose, that you didn't _want _to be around me." Elsa could see tears forming in her sister's eyes and took preemptive action to comfort her.

"Anna, I'm so sorry," she whispered to her sister as she took her face in her hands, pressing their foreheads together. "I'm so sorry for everything. I would never desert you. All those years I wanted nothing more than to be with you, to play with you and spend time as sisters…" she had to stop or else she would start crying. "But the real reason we couldn't be together as children was because…. well," she had to stop again to compose herself. She took a deep breath and pulled away from Anna so that she could look her in the eyes.

"We used to play in the snow all the time. Even in the middle of the summer, your favorite thing to do was building snowmen," they both smiled at that last part.

"So I knew about your powers?"

"Yeah, and I loved showing off to you. Each time we played my powers grew and we tried something even more extravagant. Those were the best years of my life, Anna."

"So what happened?"

"Well, one night…" and Elsa had to stop again and compose herself. _Conceal, don't feel_ she told herself, unaware that she had an audience.

"What was that?"

"I was just saying that one night-"

"No, after that." Elsa looked at her sister with a puzzled look. It was already dark outside, the winter days having reached their shortest. She saw her sister's worried look illuminated by the candlelight in the room.

"Oh, that was….that was something papa taught me to say to control my powers. '_Conceal, don't feel'_ he would always tell me. '_You mustn't let your powers get out of hand!'_ It's just a habit, a mantra I use to calm myself."

"Well that's just nonsense, Elsa! You're still bottling up all of your problems inside instead of letting yourself feel how depraved you've become! I'm here for you now, you don't have to worry about concealing _anything_ anymore!" with those last words Anna reached over and kissed her sister, a gentle reminder of hoe they had come to know one another. "I'm here for you, you know that," she whispered into her lips, lingering slightly at her sister's mouth.

"I know, Anna. I know," was all Elsa could reply. Tears were coming and there was no way that she was going to stop this torrent of emotions from breaking free. Her eyes stung and he throat was hurting; she needed to get this out.

So she did. Elsa collapsed onto Anna, latching on to her shoulders. "It's all my fault!" she bawled into her sister's shoulder. Tears were streaming down her face as she felt Anna rubbing her back, trying to comfort her older sister. The last time Elsa had cried like this…

That distant memory only made things worse for the Queen as she cried even harder, her sobs almost becoming shouts.

"Nothing's your fault, Elsa. You did nothing wrong," Anna tried to say something, but she wasn't sure that her words would have any impact on the bundle of sadness crying on top of her.

"Yes I did! Yes I did! Yes I did…" she trailed on, reliving the fateful moment when she struck Anna. "I… I… I was just trying t-to impress y-y-you, when I s-slipped and…" she cried even harder, if that was possible.

"Elsa, you can't blame yourself for something you did when you were seven. I love you and you love me, that's all that matters now."

"Bu-but-" she was starting to calm down slightly, but it wasn't much of an improvement.

"No, I won't let you sit here and feel sorry for something you did over fourteen years ago. What's done is done, we can only move forward from the past, understand?" Elsa was still crying, but she managed to calm down slightly and nod into Anna's shoulder. "Why don't we get ready for bed. I have a feeling that you could use some quality sleep." She couldn't agree more. Elsa still hadn't calmed down completely, but between her sniffles she was able to dress down into a nightgown without too much of a struggle.

As they crawled into bed for the second night in a row, her worries fading as she crawled up next to her sister, Elsa looked out the window: it was snowing again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Alright, this is my last update for a while. Normally I'd have the next chapter close to done/done before updating, but I'm not even close to being done with chapter 5. Also, thanks to everyone who followed/faved/reviewed! This is my first story EVER and y'all are really encouraging!**


	5. Drudgery

"Monster!"

"Disgusting!"

"What a disgrace!"

"They should be hanged!"

The crowd before her was livid. Elsa looked on in horror as the people, _her people_, erupted in rage. She had just announced whom her sister would be marrying, and they hadn't taken the news well. The Queen nervously looked to her sister, standing by her side to comfort her. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry, we can-" Anna was cut off as she stumbled backwards. An arrow protruded from her chest, and before she could say anything to Elsa, another arrow shot through her eye, her body collapsing on to the ground.

"_ANNA!" _The world froze. Elsa wasn't aware of anything else in the moment except for the bloody mass that lay at her feet. She couldn't even bring herself to cry, Elsa just stood there, mouth agape and eyes wide, not wanting to process the information her eyes gave her.

But she didn't get the opportunity to understand because as she stood in shock and grief, another arrow whizzed through the air, finding its home in her side. The shooting pain reminded her of the mistake she made. She collapsed, defeated and broken as she lay in agony, dry sobs making their way up her throat. The temperature dropped significantly, not that she noticed, and specs of ice floated in the air, awaiting their impending orders.

She was dying and Anna was dead; they were nothing but star-crossed lovers doomed to tragedy, their story unfinished. Elsa was sobbing uncontrollably now, a torrent of feelings and emotions surfacing as she died on the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Her final thoughts were of Anna. Unaware of her actions, Elsa began screaming her sister's name, denying the cold truth that Anna was dead, never to hear her calls.

* * *

"Elsa, wake up! _Elsa!" _she woke scared and confused, looking into her sister's eyes. Her heart was racing and her eyes burning, quickly realizing that it was just a dream.

_Get it together, Elsa. Calm down, it was just a dream._

Anna's face was scrunched up in worry as she longingly stared at the older girl in her arms. "You were calling my name pretty loudly. Are you OK? Did you have a bad dream?" Out of nowhere, Elsa started crying, letting go of whatever was holding her back. Anna wrapped her arms around her as she buried her face into Anna's chest, crying just as hard as she had before bed. Anna ran her arms up and down her sister's back, sending warmth throughout Elsa's body. She calmed down and stopped crying, sitting up from their awkward embrace.

"Do you want to talk about it?" _What would I do without you, Anna?_

"I…yeah…"

"What happened?"

"I…We… we told everyone, made an announcement that _I _was going to be your… that we were going to marry." Not letting go of her sister, Elsa looked away, ashamed at her admission of fear. She had always tried to hide her ever-present fear as a child, another bad habit started by her father.

"I guess that they didn't take it well?" Elsa could almost hear her sister trying to force a smile in her voice. Anna sounded nervous, her voice shaking and cracking, almost as if she was trying to mask her feelings.

"No," Elsa still couldn't bring herself to look at her sister as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Anna pulled her tighter as she comforted her sister. "I promise that whatever happened in your dream _won't _happen in real life. Understand? People won't freak out. By the gods you're the queen and they'll just have to live with what you say!" Elsa still wasn't looking at Anna. She was trying to build up enough courage to confess why she was so upset, but she couldn't seem to find enough. The pair just sat in silence for a minute, Anna rubbing Elsa, trying to comfort her, and Elsa looking for the courage to continue speaking.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Elsa spoke.

"You died"

"Wha- wait, what?

"In my dream. You died. After I finished, someone shot you with an arrow, and then-" _get it together, Elsa. Be strong for her. _Elsa took a deep breath and finished her sentence, her eyes burning and voice shaky. "…and then they shot me. I was crying for you, Anna. I was scared and alone, I didn't…" and the tears came again, this time more intense. She leaned into Anna's shoulder, letting go all of her pent up sadness. "_Don't leave me!"_ she wailed into Anna's shoulder, holding onto her sister for dear life.

"I won't. I won't ever leave you, Elsa. I love you." Elsa finally looked up at her sister after hearing her comforting words, her tears subsiding.

"Just… don't die, OK?" They both smiled lightly at her remark, Elsa finally calming down.

"Ok." The couple sat in silence, basking in the warmth of their shared body heat. "Why don't we try to get some rest before morning." Elsa looked out the window. The moon shone through, illuminating the night sky. She nodded at Anna's remark, shifting around and settling back into her sister's bed, holding on to the one she loved. The rest of the night was uneventful, and Elsa slept soundly, dreading the days ahead of them.

* * *

Elsa woke first, rising early out of habit. Despite falling asleep in each other's arms, Anna had rolled in her sleep, landing on the other side of the bed. Elsa smiled at her younger sister, blissfully sleeping away the morning. _This is the reason I wake up every morning_.

After she came back to reality, Elsa realized that she had to get out of bed and get ready for the day properly. She scooted over to the far edge away from Anna, careful not to wake her. After she was standing, Elsa conjured a conservative ice gown for the day. After she stopped hiding her powers, it had become one of her favorite things to do. She loved to get lost in the small details of her dresses, always lacing them with intricate designs. She smiled at her work, satisfied with the final product.

When she finished getting ready, the Queen exited her sister's room, leaving Anna to sleep through the morning.

* * *

The rest of the day was as uneventful as the previous. Elsa continued to receive visiting kingdoms, dealing with minor matters as they arose. She noticed fewer staff members preening for her approval for some trivial party detail, but she didn't put too much thought into it. How could she? Anna captivated her mind even more than usual, if that was possible. Provoked by her nightmare, Elsa began to mentally draft a speech announcing her engagement to her sister. She cringed at the awkwardness that would ensue.

_Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm marrying my sister! Come on, what should I say? I can't mention anything about love; remember what Anna said. This has to look like a last-minute arrangement that neither of us want._

Elsa racked her brain for phony excuses, but as much as she tried the Queen couldn't think of a convincing reason why she would marry her sister. Whatever the reason, she had to be convincing. If her people, or worse, her enemies, failed to buy in to her scheme, there would be retaliation, which could possibly turn violent. _I can't lose her, I won't. I'll come up with a reason._ Despite her assurances, Elsa still didn't believe herself. She had three months to come up with a solid argument for marrying her sister that didn't involve love and she wasn't off to a good start.

_I'll think of something. Maybe Anna can help me. She seems to have all of the answers. _

Elsa thought about how confident Anna was, how she always knew how to solve a problem. Even in the face of certain defeat Anna remained unfailing in her motivation. Elsa remembered the days after her coronation when Anna fearlessly ran after her, refusing to even wait out the night before starting her search. _My sister is the definition of fearlessness_. If anyone could figure out how to address this issue, it was Anna. Elsa always felt better when they were together and knew that if they put their heads together something productive would happen.

Elsa also noticed how confident _she _had become around Anna. If this were a normal romance, Elsa wouldn't have been so…_willing to explore_ she thought. She couldn't imagine trying to be so dominant with a man; the way she almost tackled Anna the previous morning was a brazen show of confidence. Elsa wondered where it came from.

Anna was truly the perfect person for her, which made planning this ball (and numerous future ones, she was sure) even more dreadful. How was she going to manage so many men trying to court her sister?

It was like this for most of the day. Elsa, trapped in her mental prison, tuned out the conversations that took place in front of her. She put on a halfway convincing show to make it seem like she listened, but the Queen was visibly preoccupied, a fact some of her guests noted.

The middle of the day finally arrived, but instead of having her food brought directly to her, one of her servants approached her empty-handed.

"Your Grace, your presence has been requested in a private meeting." _Who could want to meet with me on such short notice?_

"Private meeting? With whom?"

"I beg your apologies, Your Grace, but the requesting party would like to remain anonymous."

"Don't they, whoever _they_ are, realize how suspicious that sounds? Bring me my lunch, I'm not going to this 'meeting.'"

"I again beg your apologies, Your Grace, but this person knew that you would be hesitant, so they spoke with the Princess Anna beforehand," she paused before continuing, her nervousness written on her face, "and the Princess _insisted_ that you attend."

"Oh really? Will the Princess be in attendance?"

"I was not told so, Your Grace. I was only told to bring you to this meeting by whatever means necessary, by the orders of the Princess Anna."

Elsa sighed discontentedly. _There's no way out of this, is there?_

_Of course there is, you're the queen! You don't answer to an anonymous caller!_

_But Anna did insist, and if she trusts this person, maybe it's worthwhile to meet them…_

"Alright, I will attend this meeting. I assume that my lunch will be there as well?"

"Yes, Your Grace. That was the main provision put in place by the Princess Anna to ensure your attendance. Right this way then, they're already waiting for you."

Elsa stood and proceeded out of the Great Hall, following the servant to her destination. Eventually they stopped before wooden doors of the library, bringing back memories from earlier this week. The servant opened the door and left Elsa to deal with whomever it was she had to meet. As she heard the door close behind her, Elsa turned to look at her unknown partner. Before she knew what was happening someone grabbed her and smashed their mouth against hers. Shocked, Elsa soon realized she had no reason to be alarmed.

"Miss me?" Anna inquired after breaking the kiss. Elsa smiled at her sister, enjoying this private time with Anna. She was still getting used to being intimate, so she didn't know what to do next.

_Say something, dammit, you look like an idiot with that huge grin on your face!_

"Yeah," _wow, that's all you can say? 'Yeah?'_

To her surprise, that seemed to be enough for the younger girl. Anna giggled and planted another kiss on her lips, Elsa savoring the taste and feel of her lover.

"What's wrong, you seem… tense. Did one of those royal assholes-"

"No, it's just that- well, I'm still… adjusting to being in a romantic…relationship. This wouldn't be easy under ideal circumstances, and with us being who we are…"

"I understand. I'm still trying to figure stuff out, too. But it's weird, even though we're sisters, I don't feel bad when I kiss you…" she pecked Elsa's lips slightly, "or feel awkward when we cuddle… I just…_love_ you, I guess. I'm giving you all of my love, and it feels amazing, Elsa. I want it to be like this forever!"

Elsa's smile couldn't possibly be wider. "Yeah, me too. It's just a little harder for me to… I don't know…" she trailed off, her face fading into apprehension.

"Say it, Elsa. You need to get this off your chest."

She took a deep breath and turned to face her sister, taking hold of her shoulders. "It's hard for me to… to love you," she noticed that Anna frowned slightly at that, so she decided to charge ahead, clarifying what she meant. "Don't get me wrong, Anna, I love you more than… well, I love you a lot, ok? It's just that papa always told me…" it was hard to talk about their father in a negative light, and Elsa didn't want to influence the way that Anna thought of him, but she needed to say this. "Papa always told me to conceal my emotions, to try and not feel _anything_ in order to control my powers. Old habits die hard, and I guess that what I'm saying is that I desperately need you, Anna! I need you more than I need to eat, drink or sleep! I'm broken and you're the only one who can fix me." They were both beaming now, tears forming in Anna's eyes. "And I'm starting to ramble, aren't I?" They both laughed at that, Anna shedding a few tears.

"Wow, Elsa I… I had no idea. I just thought that… well, I don't know what I thought. I guess that I'll just have to love you even more, if that's even possible!" Elsa felt herself being pulled into a hug and she welcomed the gesture. Feeling Anna pressed against her brought sent a warm feeling throughout her body, drawing an even goofier smile to her face. "Now come on, let's have lunch."

_Lunch. I had totally forgotten about lunch!"_

They separated and walked the short distance to the table that still had the book Anna used to reveal her motives to Elsa, still turned to that damned chapter…

"Anna! Why did you leave this open, what if someone-"

"Oh, don't worry about it! I'm sure that no one saw it, and even if they did there's no way they'd figure out what it meant. Besides, everyone's going to find out sooner or later!" she was still smiling as she sat down, eyes now focused on the book. "At first I didn't think that it'd have a chapter on pregnancy, but if you search through enough books…"

"Wait, how many books did you read trying to find one that had a chapter on…reproducing… using magic?"

"Read? Oh Elsa, I didn't _read_ any books, I just skimmed the chapters and tables of contents of books about magic. I looked through something like two dozen old books before finding this one." She shifted her focus to her plate after finishing. "I had them bring us sandwiches. I hope that's ok, I just wanted something simple and-"

"Anna, it's fine. Thank you" _This is what love is_ she thought to herself, glad that her sister planned this little rendezvous just to get her off her damned throne for a few hours. "In fact, this is perfect. You got me away from those snobby guests to spend time with you, I couldn't be happier," taking a bite of her sandwich in her left hand as she finished. She used her free hand to take hold of Anna's, the pair content to eat in silence.

"Hey Elsa, I just realized something really romantic."

Elsa had to swallow quickly so that she could respond without a massive piece of bread clogging her mouth. "And what's that, love?" _"Love?" Really? That's the most cliché name you could have called her, way to be romantic! _

"Well, since you're left-handed, and I'm right-handed, we can hold hands while we're eating without interrupting each other!" Elsa thought about the absurdity and immaturity of what her sister just said, then looked at her right hand gripping her sister's left.

"You're right…" she said while thinking about the implications of what her sister just said. "We could both write, both… I don't know, do _stuff_ without messing with each other," was all she could think to say.

"Yeah, it's like we were made for each other," Anna replied to her sister, now staring intently at her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Anna."

_This is heaven. I hope that Anna's right and that it's always like this._

They spent the rest of their quick meal in silence, too occupied with the other's presence to say anything. After they finished, Elsa was the first to speak.

"Well, I'd better get back, people are expecting me."

"Yeah, me too. I have like a dozen more meeting today, all about the party." She grimaced at those last two words. "Elsa, you have no idea what it's like! All these people, asking my approval and wanting me to sign off on super annoying stuff like how many banners to use or what color the napkins should be or-"

"Wait, Anna, since when did you start organizing the party?"

"I dunno, I guess that I kinda started scheduling more and more meetings and told people what I want to happen, and they just assumed that I was in charge. Funny how responsibility grows, isn't it."

Elsa was shocked and touched at the same time. Whether or not it was purposeful, Anna was taking on more responsibilities to make her life easier.

"You must be so overworked! When did you get up?"

"Just after you left. I actually woke up before you, I just wanted a little extra sleep so-"

"Anna, this isn't ok! I love you for helping, but… there is a point where you have to say no to some responsibilities. You can't be everywhere at once, you'll run the kingdom into the ground if you tried!" She smiled softly at her sister, touched by her efforts but concerned for her health. "As soon as this whole fiasco's over, we're going to sit down and make sure we're both on the same page in terms of who does what. I don't want any more secret meetings, ok?"

"Ok Elsa," was all Anna said.

_I hope I wasn't too harsh._ She must've been frowning because Anna immediately quipped back. "Oh, don't think you were too mean or anything, I needed to hear this, Elsa. I've been thinking that I took on too much responsibility for a while, and I agree that we need to communicate more." She smiled once again, "and I can't wait to have that talk with you. Are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good. I'll see you at dinner, then?"

"Ok. I'll see you then!" and with that, they both made for the door, heading their separate ways once they left the library.

Elsa watched as Anna disappeared down the halls, off to some meeting about planning where the more important guests will stay or something like that. _Gods, what did I do to deserve her?_

Elsa continued that thought as she made her way back to the drudgery of receiving the guests.

* * *

Dinner came as a welcome treat to the tired queen, mysteriously exhausted even though she spent the entire day sitting. A servant approached her just as she was about to exit the Great Hall.

"Your Majesty, if I may, the princess has-"

"Let me guess, Anna already made plans for our dinner?"

"Yes, Your Grace, she said to tell you that she made plans for dinner in the same place you ate lunch." The servant smiled politely as she finished, signaling that her job was done.

"Oh- ok, very well. Thank you," Elsa awkwardly stumbled over her words as she fought for something to say. They both looked at each other for a moment before Elsa spoke up again. "I'll be off then," was all she could muster, her mind already on Anna and the ensuing conversation they would have over dinner.

As she made her way to the library Elsa pondered what she wanted to talk to Anna about. All day she was thinking about how rushed their relationship seemed and feared that they were making a mistake. She also wanted to know more about her relationship with Kristoff; Elsa hadn't seen him in months despite giving him an official title. _It's not like that meant anything, I only did that for Anna…_

And she was back to obsessing over her sister again. _Maybe this _is_ the wrong move, maybe we're taking things too quickly. _

_No, of course not! How can you say that, you're perfect for each other! Besides, what is your other option, to send her off to some gods forsaken kingdom to live the rest of her life in misery? To hate yourself for the rest of your life? For _her_ to hate you? Anna would _never_ forgive you if you don't go through with this._

_And she's the only person I truly care about._

_But would marrying her be in her best interests? _

_She would be hated, you _both _would be hated. You can handle retribution and scorn, she can't. I won't endanger her, I love her too much for that._

_But you can protect her!_

_But, but, but! You're just making excuses, enough! Talk with Anna, she'll smack some sense into you…_

_But she'd never back out. Oh gods, why does this have to be so hard? I'm going to have to break her heart, aren't I?_

_No, I won't do that! I- I'm here._

Elsa snapped out of her debate with her conscience when she realized her destination lay in front of her. That old wooden door was in front of her once again, and as she put her hand to the knob, her heart began to race. _What are you going to do?_

When she finally entered the library and closed the door behind her, she half expected her sister to jump into her arms, tackling her to the ground. Instead of a physical assault, however, she was met with a mental one. Anna was seated at that same table with two sets of plates laid out for both of them. Candles sprawled out across the table, providing ample lighting and setting a unique atmosphere. _What on Earth is she doing? _The scene before her was…_romantic? Why-_

"Come, sit." Anna beckoned to her, locking eyes with her queen. "I saved you a seat next to me," she giggled, trying to maintain her composure as she grinned at her sister.

"How kind of you," Elsa quipped back, finding a smile pushing up the corners of her mouth. "What are we dining on tonight, my love?" _Again with the "love" thing! Can't you try to be a little romantic, look at what she's doing for you!_

"Oh, nothing special, just some duck with soup on the side." They were both smiling stupidly at each other, Elsa lost in the moment and forgetting what she wanted to talk to her sister about. As she sat down, Anna grabbed her hand and started to speak, reminding the Queen of her intentions.

"So, how was your day? Meet any exceptional assholes?"

"_Anna!"_

"_What?_ I'm sure that _at least_ half of these guys are the biggest assholes you've ever laid eyes on. All of them want to… you know…with me… so already that can't be pleasant."

"No, it's not. In fact, I wish that I could have spent my entire day with you, but unfortunately, I have royal duties to attend to. Speaking of royal duties…" Anna's face contorted as Elsa stopped talking, her implications obvious. She turned her face to look at her older sister, eyes full of worry and… anger? Elsa wasn't sure quite how to read Anna right now.

"Elsa, you're not having second thoughts, are you? We've been over this, we both want-"

"Yes, I know, but even more than that I want you to be safe. I don't want to live without you, Anna, but I could live knowing that you're safe. I couldn't go on living if something happened to you, and by doing what we want to do…"

"We'll be fine, Elsa" Anna put on a comforting tone and softened her features, taking Elsa's hand in her left and her fork in her right. "Besides, if anyone tried to hurt either of us, I'm sure you'd have something to say to them." She smiled now, breaking off a piece of the meat on her plate and taking a bite. "You should really try this duck, it's amazing!"

Elsa sighed as she picked up her fork and began eating. A dastardly thought came to mind as she chewed the tender meat. "But what if I don't want to risk your life for my happiness?" While grammatically a question, it came out as more of a statement of her intentions.

"I'd kill myself," Anna replied flatly, not even looking up from her dinner. She cut away a rather large portion of duck and shoved it in her mouth before picking up her soup bowl to gulp it straight, ignoring the spoon laid out beside her.

"_Anna! _You would do no such thing!"

"I would. And you know I would. I already died for you once, Elsa, and I'll do it again."

"How would killing yourself be dying for me?"

"Because it'd guarantee that you'd do the same."

"And then your efforts would be in vain!"

"No, that's the point, Elsa. If you marry me off to some random suitor from who gives a fuck-" she was practically shouting, her voice rising with each syllable. And she still wasn't looking at Elsa. After she swallowed, Anna continued her sentence, "I will kill myself. You can't bear to live with me dead, so you'd kill yourself. Death would be better, less painful than living in a world without me, don't you agree?" With those final words out of her mouth, she finally turned to her sister, meat still grinding between her teeth.

Elsa was speechless. She frowned, her hand encapsulated by Anna's as she meekly replied, "Yes, I agree," just loud enough for Anna to hear over her chewing. The Queen looked down at her plate; she had barely eaten any of her dinner. _I've been defeated by my….my…dammit, I don't even know what we are!_

_But is that such a bad thing?_

Elsa remained quiet, not wanting to exacerbate the situation. With this issue resolved, she moved on to the other topics she wanted to discuss with Anna.

_So that's it, you're just going to let her decide this for herself? You're her big sister, it's your responsibility to look out for her!_

_But maybe this _is _the best thing for her._

"Elsa, are you ok?" rang Anna's voice, cheery once again.

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine" she put on a weak smile as she looked over at her sister. No, Anna was her lover, her life, her other half. Anna completed her in every way, and Elsa decided to start accepting that. _You've been running from who you are for too damn long. You need to start acting like yourself!_

"Good. I'm sorry if I yelled a little bit there, It's just that… well, this is important and I can't have you running away again." She matched her sister's smile as she put her free hand on Elsa's cheek. "We need to move on and accept that this is who we are now, there's no going back." Elsa smiled wider at hearing her sister's words and reciprocated her embrace.

"Ok. Thanks for that, I really needed to say that. It's been bothering me since before we decided to, you know…"

"Say it."

"Wha-"

"Say it! We've been skirting around this for too long, I want to hear you say it!" she was smiling just as wide as when Elsa first entered the room, now.

"We're getting married," and as if she had flipped a switch Elsa suddenly beamed with happiness. "_We're getting married!" _she said a little louder this time, her and Anna laughing and smiling together. They pressed their foreheads together, hands on each other's faces as she whispered it one last time, "_we're getting married…" _She felt tears on her hand, and as she pulled Anna's face up to meet hers Elsa became aware of a pair of lips on her own. Once she realized Anna was kissing her, she reciprocated gently, still exploring this area of intimacy. Anna broke the kiss momentarily and whispered the words again on Elsa's lips.

"_We're getting married!" _And now they were both crying as the couple resumed kissing, pulling each other nearer as their passion increased. They stopped after what seemed like a blissful eternity to Elsa, tears running down both of their faces, giant grins on their lips. They just sat and stared, still cupping each other's faces.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Anna spoke first, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah," was all that Elsa could think to say, suddenly aware that she didn't care that there might have been something else she wanted to talk to Anna about. All she wanted to do was sit there and hold her forbidden love, her secret fruit that would soon become not-so-secret.

Anna decided to move the conversation along and looked down at Elsa's half-finished duck. "Are you gonna eat that?" she asked with a smile on her face, her hands still on Elsa's cheeks.

"Wha- of course! Don't even think about it!" she quipped back, her goofy smile transforming into a sly grin. She reached to pick up her fork with her left hand, her right still on Anna's cheek. As she resumed eating, she let her hand fall and took Anna's right hand in hers again, intertwining their fingers as she devoured her remaining duck.

"Tomorrow's the last day before the ball…" Anna absentmindedly added, obviously wanting to continue the conversation. _She can't just keep quite, can she?_

"Yeah, it sure is…" Elsa managed between bites. She didn't want to think about what tomorrow or the day after would bring, her only desire being Anna herself. _How are you going to contain yourself in front of all these royal idiots drooling over my Anna? _

"Look, I know that it's the farthest thing from pleasant, but we both have to suffer through it. Let's just get through tomorrow, and we'll deal with the ball when it gets here."

"Ok," was all Elsa said before finishing her dinner. The two sat in silence, not wanting to think about what was to come.

"Sorry for bringing it up…" Anna sounded dejected as she rose, leaving Elsa at the table.

"No! No, it's…it's fine, we needed… I needed reassurance, it was fine." She smiled weakly at her sister, hoping to illicit some sort of response. "It's fine."

To Elsa's delight, Anna reciprocated, beaming back at her sister. "Thanks, Elsa."

After that, the Queen and the Princes just stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. Before she could react, Anna broke the silence.

"I know that we shouldn't sleep in the same bed tomorrow, so tonight…"

"I'd love to," Elsa smiled at her request. _Only one more night, and then we'll be home free…for now._

Elsa got up and looped Anna's arm in her own as they walked the short distance to Anna's room. They remained silent for the entire commute, Elsa trying to think of how to approach the following day.

"Do you think the staff are starting to suspect something between us?" She thought out loud, unsure if Anna heard her.

"No, I think we're safe for now," her gaze trained in front of her, looking at the door approaching on the right. "But we'll have to be careful if our marriage is to truly be a ruse. No public displays of affection, no looks of longing, no hints that our affair is anything but platonic," opening her door as she finished her thought. "But let's not worry about that right now, I'm too tired to think about the future," a smile creeping its way across her face.

As they settled into bed, Elsa felt different than the two previous times she slept in Anna's room. Instead of peace or overflowing love, she felt a hint of nervousness, a creeping sense that something was wrong. She didn't think much of it, attributing her negative thoughts to her apprehension for the upcoming ball.

Sleep found the sisters easily enough, and Elsa forgot her foreboding apprehension as Anna lay on her chest, her arms around her waist.

* * *

When Elsa woke Anna was already gone, a surprise for the older sister. She looked over and saw a note on the table next to Anna's side of the bed, and she got up and read what Anna had left her.

_Best we stay away until after the ball lest anyone think otherwise_

It was intentionally cryptic to keep its true meaning hidden from anyone who might have read it between the time Anna wrote it and now. Elsa made sure to burn the note in the already crackling fire, evidence that someone had already been in the room since Anna left.

Elsa got ready for the final day before the dreaded Mid-Winter Ball. She would not be receiving any guests today, instead, she was going to keep to her study, outside of the public eye. Her advisers (mainly Anna) thought it would be best if the Queen didn't expose herself so close to the ball due to a potential security breach. Too many people were wandering the halls in preparation for the event; they would be gone by tomorrow when everything was ready.

As she exited Anna's room, she looked back, dreading the coming day of endless paperwork.

* * *

Twelve hours and three meals of sifting through treaties, laws and most of all _marriage proposals _left Elsa drained of all her energy. She hadn't stopped thinking of Anna, letting her mind wander as she signed an endless stack of papers, read countless notes and decrees, and burned an inordinate amount of proposals for Anna's hand in marriage. She made sure to note who asked and where they were from before incinerating all of them in a fire she had struggled to start. She never had fires going in her study, but this was an exceptional circumstance.

All of this drudgery destroyed the Queen, and she would have no comfort, no recharge until the ball, when she would see Anna again. Her dress was already picked out; it was a brilliant green with all sorts of intricate details and designs that Elsa never paid attention to. She hadn't seen Anna wear it yet, the fitting taking place during their falling out. But she had snuck glances at it when she spent time in Anna's room, envisioning her sister's radiant beauty encased in that outstanding piece of fabric. She wanted to vomit when she remembered that all of these men she had spent the past several days greeting would be gawking over her sister in that magnificent dress.

Elsa wasn't sure that she would be able to make it through the ball, but somehow she would have to manage. _Remember, you only have to watch; she's the one who has to actually entertain them. You can do it for her._

The Queen tried to stop thinking about how horrible the ball was going to be for both her and her sister, letting instead her desires shift towards Anna.

As she slept that night, Elsa dreamed of how amazing marry Anna would be.

* * *

This was it. The day of the ball had arrived, and Elsa felt even worse than she had the day before. Elsa struggled to find a reason to get out of bed, not wanting to face the consequences of her immaturity. _If only you'd paid better attention in that council meeting, you wouldn't be in this mess!_

She eventually found a reason when she remembered Anna's sleeping form laying across from her the previous morning. As she struggled to plant her feet on the ground, she focused her will into being strong for Anna. _You got her into this mess, it's only right that you see her through it._ Getting ready was easier after her internal pep-talk.

_Now, on to face one of the worst days of my life._

She was sure that today would rank among the top five worst days she'd ever had, but she wasn't sure which other days topped this one. The day and ensuing weeks surrounding her parent's death were the worst she'd ever endured, and the day she struck Anna was a close second. She didn't know whether her coronation was worse than this or not, and she let her internal debate drive her thoughts as she exited her room, ready to face the day. _At least I'll get to see Anna's dress._

* * *

As guests started arriving for festivities in the courtyard, Elsa found herself pacing about in an isolated part of the castle. She promised herself to stay away from Anna until the ball for fear of _consuming_ her out of pure lust. Her internal debate died down quickly and her thoughts had turned to Anna sometime during breakfast when she realized she was eating eggs. Her day was not off to a good start.

As the hours wore on, Elsa grew more and more anxious. Eventually she heard a knock at the door, confounding the worried queen. No one was set to retrieve her yet; the ball wasn't for another four hours. _Who could possibly want to see me right now? Anna?_ Her heart raced as she let her judgment falter and for a moment she really thought her sister waited on the other side of the door, but when the person knocked again, harder and slower than Anna ever would, her fantasies were erased.

"Who are you?" she commanded out of fear, not sure if she should call the guards.

"It's me, Kristoff," came a gruff masculine voice from behind the wood. Her heart raced even faster as she speculated why the ice harvester wanted to see her. She decided she'd find out as she opened the door to let him in.

"Hello," was all she could think to say.

"Hello," _Maybe he's just as nervous._

"So… why are you here?"

"Anna sent me, she wanted-" out of habit the Queen tuned the last half of his sentence. _Anna? What does she- maybe she…_

"Elsa, are you even listening?" She turned to focus on the man before her.

"Wha- oh, sorry. What was that?"

"I was saying that Anna wanted me to talk to you about your relationship. Can you listen to me for a couple minutes?" He sounded doubtful, as if he knew that the Queen was prone to letting her mind wander when it shouldn't.

"Yeah, I can do that. What did Anna want you to tell me?"

"That what you're doing is wrong, that what you two have is beautiful and that you should cherish each other's love. Anna told me that you were feeling hesitant, that you had second thoughts about being with her." _Dammit Anna, why do you have to be so perfect?_

"Yeah, we talked and I told her that it might be best if she _did_ marry one of these men, but she being the feisty princess that she is, she talked me out of it. You don't have to worry about me doubting our relationship anymore," smiling as she finished.

"Ok, good. Anna was worried that you were still nervous about marrying her."

"Marrying! Wha- Kristoff! How much did she tell you!?"

"Everything and more. She trusts me, and you should too." He looked at his shoes as an awkward silence filled the room.

"She told me a few months ago, you know."

"I know, she told me," her voice lowered and a slight frown weighed down upon her face. "Speaking of that, what did you say to her to convince her of her feelings?"

Kristoff's face sparked up at that, a small smile working its way onto his face. "Oh, that was easy. I had suspicions that you both had more than platonic feelings, but wasn't sure if you had revealed yourselves to each other, so I talked to Anna about your relationship." He walked over to a chair and sat down as he continued his monologue.

"I asked her how you two treated one another, what things you did together, how you spoke to each other, things like that. We had talked about love before, and that was when she realized that she didn't love me the way I loved her. We eventually got to the topic of love in this conversation, and I told her that you had a different type of love between the two of you. What I saw whenever you were together was not only sisterly platonic love, but the love that two halves to the same soul experience. She was hesitant at first, in denial even. But eventually we came to the same conclusion: that you two were in love.

"At first I was jealous, that the girl I loved had a soul mate, a better half, a romantic partner that she had total trust and confidence in. I ignored my observations for a while, but after a few weeks… I couldn't resist, I had to end things with Anna. That's when we spoke about love, and she confessed that she didn't love me." He was looking out a window, but suddenly jerked his head back to Elsa. "Anyways, I'm rambling, and that's all I really wanted to say. Are we good?"

"Perfect," she hesitated but spoke with conviction. _Where did Anna find you? I can't believe she had such an amazing friend like you…._

"I think I should leave now, Anna will be expecting a full report." He grinned at his choice of words, sensing the nervous feeling he gave Elsa. "Don't worry, I'll send you're love."

"Will you be at the ball?" _Why did I ask that of course he won't , why would he want to see all these men with the woman he loves?_

"Wha- uh, yeah, Anna- she , uh, she wanted me to be there in case she needs an excuse to escape the clutches of some douchebag." His grin widened at that last remark.

"I'll see you there, then." He gave no response as the door closed behind him. _Misery loves company _she thought as her thoughts of the ball returned to her. The next four hours were worse than the previous day had been.

* * *

The ball was just as bad as Elsa envisioned it. Too many people made too much noise and too many men were courting her sister. Elsa made sure to keep a close eye on Anna, never letting the young princess out of her sight.

And how could she? Anna was captivating in her dress, the picture of beauty and grace. She flew across the dance floor flawlessly, drawing the attention and envy of every guest present. From time to time she would make an excuse to dance with Kristoff, but when one particular suitor became jealous the ice harvester was revealed and the remaining princes and nobles made a joint effort to keep the princess occupied.

The meal served was some sort of meat with a pudding and exotic fruits and vegetables with the most elaborate chocolates for desert, but none of it mattered to the Queen. She never left her post at the front of the room, always eying her sister. She kept a vigilant watch until one particular gentlemen whom she seemed to recall approached her.

"Your Grace! What a wonderful party this is!" He seemed overly cheery and carried two drinks in his hands. "Would you care for some wine?" _Shit, play it cool, Elsa._

"Thank you, Lord…?" _Dammit, who is he? I should know this!_

"Please, Your Grace, call me Gustavo." _Oh, you._ "I have no titles as I am but an envoy for the kingdom of-" _Nope, not going to listen to your phony conversation. _Just as she had done on their prior meeting, Elsa tuned the man out, her gaze wandering to the party to search for Anna.

"…absolutely tremendous, don't you think so?"

"Oh, I'm sure. That sounds fascinating!" she was still searching for her sister, the wine in her hand left untouched and the man speaking to her left ignored. "You have an interesting accent, where exactly are you from?" Not aware of the misstep she just made, Elsa resumed her fruitless search, taking a small sip of wine. Kristoff was sitting down, looking around the room. _He's probably doing my job, how nice_. She smiled and turned back to her partner, mind set at ease.

"…and Corona to the north. Quite a fascinating place indeed!" This man, Gustavo, didn't appear offended at the Queens' faux pas as he continued to ramble on, now with her full attention. Elsa took another sip of wine.

"Corona! I know that country very well, my uncle is the King!"

"Is he now? Then we have a common ally, Queen Elsa! I hope to have a long and fruitful arrangement with Arendelle!" He waved and walked away, leaving Elsa confused but relieved. She glanced back over at Kristoff. He was intently looking for Anna, occupying her position as the older sibling. She saw him get up and walk somewhere out of sight. _He probably found her, good on him!_ Elsa, tired from the stressful day and suddenly exhausted, noticed her wine glass was empty.

_I've played my part, Kristoff can look after Anna. He'll come get me when this is over._

Not wanting to agonize herself even more, she decided to retire early. Exited to see Anna in the morning, to move forward in their relationship, she was already tuned out as she made her way up the stairs to her chambers.

_I hope that I told Kai I was leaving early. Oh well!_ Her sudden lack of inhibition worried her, but that part of her brain was a small voice compared to her body, which ached for rest. She slumped down on her bed, utterly exhausted and barely able to move. That same small voice was screaming something important at her, something she needed to know, but Elsa was almost asleep, and she was sure that such a little voice couldn't have anything important to say.

But just before she fell asleep, Elsa realized something. Her small voice set off alarm bells as her heart started beating frantically. A single thought permeated her mind, willed her to stay awake, tried to make her sit up, but to no avail.

That thought made sleep seem like a dungeon, a trap she must avoid. Because if she fell asleep, there would be no turning back, no preventing the damage that was already most likely done. Because if she was locked inside she couldn't help. Because she _needed_ to stay awake.

Because Anna was missing.


	6. Enemies

Elsa struggled to remain conscious. Sleep wasn't an option at this point, she had to get up. She had to stand, to call for help, to find Anna and never let her go. But sleep was all too powerful a force, and the Queen felt her doom, or rather, her sisters' doom, approach with every passing second.

_Get up, you _have _to find her! What if she's…._

Elsa didn't finish that thought, too afraid of the state in which she would find her sister. As she started to drift off into unconsciousness, a force deep within her pulled her back to safety. Somehow she found the strength to sit up and shout for help, despite the effects her wine and whatever that Gustavo character had slipped in it.

_Once this is over and I find him…_

Using her anger to motivate her, Elsa finally stood at the foot of her bed, calling for her guards as she rose.

"Huh-Help! Help! I need help!" she cried at the top of her lungs, her vocal power rising with each breath. "HELP! GUARDS!"

The men posted outside her chamber slammed the door open, rushing to aid their queen.

"What is it, Your Grace?" one guard hurriedly replied, running to Elsa's side.

"My sister- the Princess Anna is in trouble! You!" She looked at the guard on her right, pointing at the door. "Close the gates, no one is to leave under punishment of death." Elsa was slowly sobering up, trying to convey the serious nature of the situation.

"Yes, Your Grace," And the guard ran out the door, shouting something to the others who heard the Queen's outburst and were coming to investigate.

"And you," she was looking at the remaining guard now, "round up a team of guards and _find my sister!_"

"Yes, My-"

"_I'm not done talking,_" she spat back at the man, an anger she had never known growing deep inside her gut. "Have your team search every room in the castle, starting with her room. Make sure that all of the major posts are stationed. Question anybody who might have seen where the Princess might have gone, including the guests. Use any force necessary, _am I clear?_"

"Y-Yes, Your Grace."

"Good, now escort me to the Ballroom. We don't have much time."

_Don't worry Anna, I'm coming._

In the back of her mind, Elsa hoped against hope that her sister had simply run off to her room early as she had done, but the Queen knew that was not the case.

* * *

The guests were flustered and murmurs were rampant throughout the ballroom. Elsa had the guards take inventory of all the guests present, and they found that Prince Heinrich from some duchy Elsa hadn't bothered to note was missing, as were two other princes. But what interested her the most was that Prince Heinrich had a peculiar person in his party who was also absent from the ball: Gustavo.

_Gustavo. I knew he was behind this_.

But unfortunately for her, guests reported seeing him leave the castle just as she had left the ballroom, and her guards confirmed that they saw a man pass by the gates around the same Gustavo left the party. Elsa was starting to lose hope. She lost her prime suspect who was probably half way back to the gods forsaken place he came from.

Until Kristoff showed up. He saw who took Anna, and more importantly _where_ they took her. It seemed all too convenient for whomever took Anna (or _could have_ taken Anna, as Elsa was trying to convince herself) that he was unconscious, laying face down in a deserted hallway far from the Ballroom. The guards later found him and took him for questioning.

When they finally woke him up, he was a babbling mess.

"Anna! E-Elsa! I need, I- I need to get to Elsa! The Queen!" The guards interrogating him exchanged nervous glances, wondering whether to trust this seemingly drunk witness. "I have to speak to Elsa! Please!" the guards figured they had nothing to lose by letting him speak with the Queen, and one of them recognized him as the man who spoke to her earlier that day.

"Alright, but you'd better not be wasting our time."

BREAK

_Oh gods, Anna, where are you?_

It had only been a half hour since Elsa put the castle on lockdown and Anna was still nowhere to be found. The guards were working quickly to check the rooms, but with the castle being as big as it was their search had turned up fruitless so far.

_What if they're raping her? What if they kidnapped her, or worse? What if I can never see her again? I'll never be able to tell her how much I love her, how much she means to me, that I can't live without her… Oh gods, oh gods…_

Elsa became more incoherent as each second passed, letting the worry win out over the anger that hid inside her. The Queen began pacing across the room she claimed as a home-base for this operation, and it only made her more nervous. Anna was as good as dead if she wasn't found soon, and time was running out. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice as the door to the room burst open.

"ELSA! I KNOW WHERE ANNA IS!" Kristoff shouted as he ran towards the queen, out of breath from running. "COME ON, WE DON'T HAVE TIME!"

She had no response. Elsa followed obediently, her previous nerves threatening to burst with every step she took. But she was calmed, her mind plotting the ways she would torture her sister's captors.

She didn't have much time to think, as the run to where they were keeping Anna was a short one. After climbing a set of stairs and making one, two, five turns down empty corridors they finally arrived, Kristoff pointing at the door, not that it was necessary.

For the next minute, Elsa entered a state she would never relive. What happened to the Prince and his entourage inspired fear and respect from everyone who dared to mention the Ice Queen for the rest of her life.

Elsa grabbed the handle on the door and ice instantly destroyed the wood, opening up the portal between her and her sister's captors. A loud crack ripped through the air, the Queen surveying the scene before her.

Anna was tied to the bed in the middle of the room, her clothes discarded and skin bruised. Her hands were bound together and forced above her head, her legs spread wide to the sides of the bed. Her face was red and bruised; she was crying. A gag filled her mouth, stifling her would-be screams.

A man standing in front of Anna spun around, his cock bouncing as he turned. Elsa took a giant step forward and grabbed his offending parts, freezing them off and separating them from his body. He fell to the ground, a frozen stub replacing his favorite appendage.

Three men stood frozen against the wall to her left, their torsos, arms and legs covered in ice. In her rage, Elsa didn't notice how out of control her powers became, but it served her well on this occasion. She contemplated how she would kill the first man for a moment before forming an ice collar around his neck. She tightened it, forming more ice as the man gasped for air. His face lost color and the collar tightened still; his head rolled to the floor after she was done.

The second man suffered a similar fate, but quicker this time. Elsa stopped before she cut off his head, watching as blood spilled down his body. As she turned to the third man, he cowered in fear, his childish whimpers stifled by the ice that already covered half of his face.

Elsa had a thought and decided to act upon it. She formed a small piece of ice within the man's skull and simply made it bigger. She stopped when his head dropped, his brain destroyed.

Two men to her right were half-frozen, just like their three companions. The Queen decided to grant them mercy and ended their suffering cleanly, freezing them solid. She walked back to the center of the room, the rapist still lying on the floor, clutching his groin. Elsa let out a command before turning her full attention to her sister.

"Take him to the dungeon," and with those words, her guards snapped out of their shocked state, ripped the man from the floor and hurried off to the dungeon, afraid to displease their queen. Elsa looked down at her hands and realized she was still holding the man's frozen cock. She froze the filth off her before moving to comfort her sister.

She freed her bonds and scooped her up into a loving embrace, taking out her gag and Anna immediately started sobbing against her sister.

"Bring me something to cover her with," she shouted, her gaze not leaving the broken girl sitting in her lap. Kristoff approached with what seemed like a curtain, and Elsa wrapped her sister in it, cradling her as a mother would a baby. She cooed soft words of encouragement and rubbed her back, still trying to recover from what had just happened. The next thing she decided was to leave the room they were still in, five dead bodies littering the floor.

She stood, her sister still in her arms. The shock of the situation wearing off, Elsa found herself particularly weak and barely able to keep ahold of the younger girl. But when she tried to hand Anna off to Kristoff, the girl latched on to Elsa's shoulders.

"_Don't leave me,"_ she cried into her shoulder, barely above a whisper. Elsa tried to think of a way to carry her sister back to her room, and settled on using her powers to augment her strength. She froze her upper body in place, coating everything from her fingertips to her torso in a solid sheet of ice, freeing Anna's weight from bearing down directly onto her muscles. Anna didn't complain about the cold. With her arms frozen in place, Elsa marched back to her room, her sister in her arms.

"I'll never leave you," she eventually said, now holding back tears. Rage prevented her emotions from surfacing before, but now she was about to collapse from the stress of what just happened. The rest of the walk was in silence, the guards having left them be.

When they reached Elsa's chambers, she drew a bath for Anna. Elsa washed her clean, paying special attention to the spots she was bruised and cut. They spent the entire time in silence, Elsa's touch sending a loving message to her damaged lover.

Anna hugged her sister, burying her face in the crook of her neck. Elsa thought of something to say, something to ease Anna's pain.

"I… I want to help you, Anna. I'm here for you, and I'll always be by your side."

"Never leave me," she whispered again, quiet sobs punctuating her words. Elsa waited before speaking, thinking of how to best approach the situation.

"Ok, Love, I'll never leave you."

"I_ mean it_._ Never leave me_." Anna's crying picked up volume, and Elsa felt tears run down her neck.

_Be strong for her; conceal, don't feel._

"Anna, we… that's not-"

Anna pulled herself out of Elsa's neck, her face bruised, her eyes red and puffy, wide with fear. She was frowning, and Elsa couldn't find a sliver of happiness in her sister's face.

"I'll never leave you," was all Elsa could say, remaining stoic. She brought her sister into a warm embrace, feeling her tears run down her cheek. She ran her hands up and down her back, trying to comfort the girl laying next to her. "_I'll never leave you_," she whispered this time, her voice shaky.

_Don't cry, be strong for her._

"I love you too, Elsa."

Those five words broke the damn Elsa had built, tears now rolling down her face. The Queen had been keeping in her feelings for the past few hours, not letting the situation affect her. She kept a straight face when she walked in on a man about to rape her sister. She killed five men and neutered a sixth without flinching. She composed herself while Anna held on to her for support. But all of that had been undone with five simple words.

* * *

Anna cried herself to sleep, and Elsa was glad. She deserved to rest after what happened to her, and it comforted Elsa to feel her sister fall asleep in her arms. Elsa looked down at her, thinking about what had just happened and how she was going to fix her little sister.

_Sister. She's your sister, what are you doing?_

_I'm following my heart and doing what's best for her._

_What you're doing, what you plan to do, it's wrong and disgusting._

_But it's my only option. I __**will not**__ put Anna through that again. What else can I do?_

_You could have prevented this._

_No, I can't look back, I have to deal with the present. What am I going to do? How did I get into this mess? _

Elsa pondered the absurdity of her situation. When the week began, Anna was still hiding from her, and now they were lovers.

_How did this happen?_

Elsa tried to piece together their current situation, starting from the beginning. After her coronation, she and Anna had become incredibly close, just as they had been as children. They had spent practically every waking moment together, and Anna quickly found herself a place beside the Queen, both as a sister and as…

_Something else… We have become something else since the coronation._

_We do everything together. We're everything to each other…_

Elsa thought about the roles they each played in the other's life. Elsa was Anna's sister, her Queen, her mother, and her best friend. But what did those titles mean?

_Who are we to each other?_

_When she cries, I tell her everything is going to get better. When I feel stressed, she takes me out to play in the snow. When she's happy I feel complete; when I'm happy she's always by my side. When I miss our parents she hugs me and we cry together. We complete each other, two halves of a whole._

_And there's nothing wrong with that._

Elsa felt a wave of comfort spread through her body at that thought. She realized that she and Anna were made for one another, that despite the taboo, she _loved_ Anna. And that was all that mattered.

_I'll make this right, I'll fight for her love and protect her from anyone who tries to separate us._ She gripped Anna tighter, pulling her close. _Especially…him._

She had yet to make plans for the prince who tried to soil her sister. Should he be executed? Tortured? Kept in the dungeon until he died? Or should she just send him back home like she did with Hans?

_No, this is different. He will pay for his sins, I'll make sure of it._

Methods of torturing the man flew through her head, each one more excruciating than the previous. Elsa lost herself in her hate for the man. She still couldn't sleep, too consumed with fury and disgust. As the hours wore on, the Sun eventually shone through her chamber's windows. Anna was still sleeping, nuzzled closely to Elsa's chest. She hadn't moved the entire night, uncharacteristic for the animated princess. Elsa was watching her sleep, running her hand through the girl's hair when she heard a knock at the door.

"Your Majesty?" came the familiar voice of Iris, her handmaiden. "I have breakfast for yourself and the Princess Anna."

Anna stirred in her arms, starting to wake. _Dammit, I woke her up_. Elsa looked down at her sister, anguish still written across her face. Their eyes locked and for a moment Elsa shared in her sister's pain. Iris called out again, opening the door to Elsa's chambers.

"Your Majesty? Your breakfast-"

"Leave us," was her only reply, her eyes still locked with Anna's.

"Wha- Your Majesty? But I-Oh,"

"Leave"

"Yes, Queen Elsa. I'm so- I'm sorry, I'll just be-" and just after she shut the door Elsa put a thick layer of ice over the entryway.

"Nobody's going to bother us today, it's just you and me." She tried to smile at her sister, but all she could manage was a softer face and understanding eyes. Elsa reached up to cup Anna's face in her hands, and just then her sister started crying.

She tried to wipe away the tears, but Anna sobbed progressively harder, pouring out her emotions onto her lover. Elsa was taken by surprise as Anna launched herself forward, nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck. Elsa tried not to cry, wrapping her arms around Anna's back and waist. She couldn't decide whether or not to whisper words of comfort into her ear, but the act of maintaining her composure prevented her from making that decision.

_Conceal, don't feel. Be strong and don't cry, she needs you right now. Conceal, don't…_

"S..stop it" Anna managed between quiet sobs, her face still pressed tightly to Elsa's neck.

"Wha-"

"You..you're not crying,"

_How did you know?_

No words could describe how Elsa felt right then. Warmth spread across her face, but she wasn't sure whether that was from her tears or the love she received from Anna. She realized that she was crying, and that holding back her emotions wasn't helping Anna recover. Anna needed her love and sympathy right now, not a stiff shoulder to cry on.

Holding each other close, Elsa cried with her sister. Breakfast was forgotten as she held her sister close, wanting nothing more than to make her whole again. They laid in silence, Elsa gracefully sliding her hand up and down Anna's back. She was a comforter, an older sister, a lover.

They stayed this way, resting in the arms of the other, not speaking a word, for hours. For the first time in her life, Elsa didn't care about her responsibilities. Anna needed her more than she ever had, and Elsa wasn't leaving her. Their crying eventually subsided, and when it did, Elsa spoke.

"We need to get up." Anna looked at her sister worriedly, fear written across her face.

_How can I convince her to leave this bed?_

She half-smiled when the thought struck her.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna reciprocated her feelings, a faint smile making its way onto her lips. They climbed out of Elsa's bed and stretched, bodies sore from lying down all day.

Elsa formed a small snow drift at the foot of her bed. Anna took her hand and enthusiastically walked over, plopping herself down onto the snow. Elsa was taken by surprise and nearly fell over, letting go of her sister's hand. They giggled, sharing this small moment of normalcy.

The rest of the day was spent in the snow, a dozen snowmen lining the Queens chambers by the time they finished. Having forgone both breakfast and lunch, the pair was famished by nightfall.

"Want some dinner?" Elsa asked as they finished their latest snowman. Anna smiled back at her sister, a welcome sight. Most of the day had been spent in silence, save their frequent giggles and side comments that escaped while playing in the snow.

"That sounds amazing right now, actually."

Elsa grabbed her hand and led the way to the kitchen, stealing glances at Anna along the way. She was still smiling.

They had the cooks prepare them something simple, Elsa had forgotten it by the time they made their way back to her chambers. They hadn't spoken about it, but Elsa understood that Anna was going to be sleeping in her bed from now on. She noted that whenever they passed on of the guards Anna flinched, grabbing hold of her sister until they passed.

That night was significantly less painful than the one previous. The sisters curled up next to each other and fell asleep peacefully, no worries on their minds.

The next day brought all of Elsa's worries back to the front of her mind. She missed numerous meetings the day prior, even failing to see off her guests. _Oh well, I had more pressing matters to attend to_ she thought as she looked down at her still sleeping lover. _I'm sure they'll understand_.

She got ready for the day in silence, not waking Anna. Slipping out of her chambers, she made her way to her study. Today she was playing catch-up, having to sort through all of the correspondence her guests had left her as well as any requests that had come before her the day prior.

What she found on her desk surprised her. Every single one of the guests had left condolences, some of them denouncing prince Gottrig of Onland, whom she assumed was the man who assaulted Anna. One note in particular caught her eye. It was an apology from Onland. _That was quick_

While she was unchanged by the letter, one line in particular caught her eye:

_While we understand your contempt for prince Gottrig, we request that you send him back to Onland alive._

While understandable, Elsa wasn't in a bargaining mood and decided to burn the letter, completely ignoring their pleas. _That bastard will never leaving Arendelle alive_.

Just before she could burn the letter, the door to her study slammed open.

"Your Majesty, the Princess needs you."

_Oh no_

The servant didn't get a chance to explain before Elsa started running towards her chambers. She ran inside, servants surrounding her bed. "MOVE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her mind wandering to the worst possible place.

She jumped onto her bed, shoving someone out of her way as she moved towards Anna. The Princess was scrunched up at the head of the bed, covering herself with the sheets. Elsa gently reached out and put her arms around her sister, pulling her close. Anna was crying.

"What's wrong?"

"Y…You left me," she let out, barely above a whisper.

"I'm so sorry, Anna. I was just down the hall in my study, I-"

"But you left me!" she was still covering her face with the sheets, afraid of something.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you. Do you want to stay in bed today, with me?"

She whispered something incoherent as a response.

"What was that?" she whispered softly into Anna's ear.

"_Make them leave"_

She turned to the servants gawking around the bed, some looking worriedly at the sisters. "Leave us," she authoritatively declared.

They let out a murmur of "Yes, Your Majesty," and left promptly.

Once they left, Elsa sealed the door again with a thick layer of ice. Anna was still underneath the sheets. "Are you going to come out now?" She shook her head. "Ok, but I'm coming under!" she smiled at her jest, hoping Anna was doing the same. When she lifted the covers and crawled under, she was horrified at what she saw.

"Anna, I'm so sorry," a deep frown replacing her grin. Her sister had been crying, her cheeks wet with tears, her eyes red and puffy. Elsa wrapped her arms around her, bringing Anna's head to rest below her own. "I'll never leave you, I'm sorry."

"But you did!" Her words stung like arrows to her heart.

"I know, and I was wrong. I'll take you with me wherever I go from now on, at least until you get sick of me." Anna calmed down at her apology and pulled back to look at her sister.

"Thanks," was all she could muster. She smiled weakly and leaned back into the crook of her sister's neck. Elsa was relieved, but worried about the next step they had to take.

"We can't stay like this all day, Anna. We have responsibilities, both of us."

Anna took a deep breath before responding. "I know," she paused and looked up at Elsa, "so lets get going." She kept her small smile alive and took Elsa's hand in her own. Elsa took that as an opportunity to move things forward. She led her out from under the sheets and off the bed. As she helped her sister get ready, Elsa noticed her mood improve tenfold. A somewhat cheery Anna now stood by her side, ready to tackle the challenges of the day.

_Here we go_

"You know what we have to do, right?" Anna looked down, her smile fading.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time."

"OK," and with that her small grin reappeared, signaling that she was ready for the day.

They marched out of Elsa's room and walked a short distance to her study where they gathered some papers for the upcoming council meeting. They made the walk to the chamber in silence; their hands intertwined the entire way.

They were the first ones to arrive, the meeting not scheduled to start for another half hour. As they sat in silence, Elsa felt her nerves eating her from the inside.

_What am I going to say?_

_Should I tell them how we really feel? What if they don't approve?_

_What do you mean, __**if**__? Of course they won't approve! You'll have to convince them of your plan somehow, possibly by…_

She was drawn back to reality by the tugging of her arm by the redhead seated next to her. Anna kept moving closer, inching forward to the point where she was practically sitting in Elsa's lap. Before she could ask what was wrong, she noticed where Anna's scared face was looking.

One of the councilmen had just entered the room.

Anna grabbed onto Elsa even tighter as more men filed into the room, eventually burying her face in her sister's shoulder. Elsa stood up, whispering into Anna's ear words of encouragement.

"It's OK, I'm right here. I won't let anyone hurt you, Anna. If any of them tries to do anything…" she stopped, Anna now looking directly into her eyes, "I'll do to them what I did to those five men. Understand?" Anna nodded in recognition. "But for now, you have to sit in your own chair, ok?" she looked away, visibly upset at the situation.

"Ok," came her meek reply. They sat back down, Anna still clinging to Elsa's arm.

The meeting was one of the most normal events of the week. Ordinary business and concerns were dealt with, the men were respectful, and it wasn't until the end that Elsa began to feel her nerves build up as she prepared to make the announcement. Just before they finished, the council brought forth the matter of Onland and prince Gottrig.

"Your Majesty, Onland has requested the safe return of their Crown Prince. To not comply would be-"

"Disastrous and a diplomatic nightmare. They would probably declare war on Arendelle."

"Yes, Your Grace. This is why we advise you to comply, however much it pains you to do so."

"I understand. No." a murmur erupted between the men.

"But Your Grace-"

"No. My final decision is to keep him here indefinitely; I will bear the consequences for my actions."

"And what if they invade, Queen Elsa?" Lord Jensen was speaking now, the same man who first proposed that Anna be married. "How will you defend Arendelle? Our military is-"

"Unnecessary. I will personally defend Arendelle if Onland tries to attack."

"And how will you defend the city from an entire armada? Your Grace, this option-"

"Is final. I will conjure an infinite army of snow and ice soldiers to defend against any threats, nobody has any reason to worry." The council seemed satisfied, even if Lord Jensen still protested. The meeting moved on smoothly until the end after that point was cleared up. Her nerves began to build as the meeting came to a close.

Thoughts of Anna being scared flashed in her mind, and her nerves vanished. She let her anger and possessiveness take over as she mentally prepared herself.

_Do this for her, this is the best thing for both of you._

"Gentlemen," she began, a stern look on her face, "I have an announcement regarding my sister's engagement." She took in a large breath before continuing.

The entire chamber was silent, every man focused on her. Some looked nervous, others disinterested. One man raised his hand in objection.

"Your Grace, if I may," he began cautiously.

_Dammit, lost my focus!_

"Yes, what is it?"

"Your Grace, we know that what happened to your sister was tragic and unforgivable, but you need to appear strong. It is with a heavy heart and stern conscience that I must advise you to keep to your previously announced schedule. Other kingdoms are watching Arendelle extremely close, and this is at a time that we cannot afford to lose any allies." She was flustered, but decided to use what he said to her benefit.

"Yes, I know. This is why," she took a breath, calming herself. "For this reason I have decided that my sister will be married to me." Everyone was silent, gawking at what the Queen had just announced. Half of the men were staring on in disbelief. Elsa decided to explain herself, talking out of sheer nervousness. "My sister has been damaged severely by what happened two days ago. I cannot in good conscience as a sister and as a Queen force her into an arrangement in which she will never be happy."

"My Queen, Your Grace, you _cannot be serious! _In all of my years as a royal advisor that is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard!"

"I agree! Why on Earth do you think you can make that decision? The Princess must be married _to a man from another kingdom!"_

"_Excuse me_? I can make whatever decision I please, and the council will not question my motives! Or do you not recall what happened to the five previous men who didn't care about the Princess' wellbeing?" She had a look on her face as if she was about to kill one or all of the council members. One of them spoke up, laughing.

"Don't be absurd! You would never-" blood splattered across the room as an ice spike impaled his face. The men seated next to him wiped bits of bone and blood off their clothes as the room realized what had just happened. Dripping was the only sound audible in the room, a pool of liquid forming on the floor below the dead Lord's body.

"I have made myself clear. I will be marrying my sister, and if anyone has any objections…" she stared at the dead man's body, her meaning apparent. She turned to Anna and led her out of the chamber room. Before she left, Elsa turned around and made one final comment. "Gentlemen, I would like to remind you of the scope of my powers: after my coronation, I _inadvertently _froze Arendelle. Think about what I could accomplish at full concentration." With her ominous warning complete, Elsa was about to leave when two guards blocked her path. She noticed an officer insignia on both of their shoulders.

Expecting a struggle, the two knelt before her and Anna.

"My Queen, my Princess, the guards will always be loyal to the crown."

"Your loyalty has been noted. Rise, and spread the message throughout the ranks."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

As she began walking away from the council chamber, Anna by her side, Elsa reflected on what had just happened during the council meeting.

_What have I done?_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update, life's been crazy for the past week. I'll have the next chapter up by Thursday/Friday, with another one due by the end of the weekend. I hope y'all are enjoying the story, shit's about to get real as Elsa feels the consequences of her actions._  
_**


	7. Family

"How many years did you say?"

"Seven. It's been seven years."

"Fuck, that's a long-ass time! I'm away for three, four maybe, weeks at a time at most. I don't think the wife and kids could manage that long without me! _Seven years!"_

"Yes, it's been… rough"

"I'll say! I bet you can't wait to get home! Things have changed, though, what with the new queen and all."

"What new queen?"

"Queen Elsa! Her coronation was what, three? Four years ago? Anyways, after her coronation things…changed."

"How so?"

"Well, she's much more… intimidating than her father."

"Her father?"

"Yeah, the King. He died in a shipwreck almost ten years ago, damn shame. I'm starting to wish that he wish he was still around…"

"Well that's… unfortunate. I must have left before he died. Say, how is his daughter, the new queen? You said something about her being 'intimidating,' how so?"

"Dunno why you're so interested, not like it matters… but… hmm, how do I put this? She, ummm… has these powers, you see? And she uses them… a lot."

"I don't understand, what are you saying?"

"Well… the Queen, she… she can control ice, you see? And she uses this… power quite often, sometimes for, well…less than innocent purposes."

"What? Are you saying, that the Queen is evil?"

"Some might say that, yes. Me? I don't know what to think. I stay out of shit like that, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess… but I'm curious, has she ever used her powers to, umm, hurt anyone?"

"You mean has she killed anyone? Has she publically executed anyone? Not as much as she used to."

"Oh."

"So how long until we're there?"

"Oh, it'll be another week. You know, you're lucky you caught us when you did. We'd blown off course! If the winds had behaved you wouldn't be heading home right now!"

"No… I suppose not. I, uh… need to get back to my family."

"How old is your boy again?"

"Five."

* * *

_Only five more, only five more…_

Elsa hated dealing with royal matters. She would much rather be spending her afternoon with her wife and two daughters, but unfortunately she was stuck sitting on her throne for the near future. With only five more matters of the court to discuss, she was growing impatient.

_I wonder what Anna's doing… I bet she's playing with Emma and Astra, running through the halls without a care in the world…_

That thought mad Elsa smile, a warm feeling creeping its way up from her chest. She did everything in her power to make Anna's life better, and it pleased her to know that her goal had been accomplished. Her wife and children were her life; Elsa couldn't fathom what she would do if anything happened to them.

The Queen grew extremely anxious and decided to cut her time at the Royal Court short. She had better things to do than listen to her subjects complain about taxes. She rose from her seat and the room fell silent.

"I will be retiring for the day," and she turned to leave the throne room. Kai met her before she could reach the door.

"Your Majesty, I only mean to advise, but we are in the middle of deliberations, and after this case we still have one more party who wishes to appear before the Throne. I think it would be best if-"

"If _what_, Kai? My family needs me more than my kingdom does; these people will be here tomorrow if their problems are truly worth my time."

"Of course, Your Majesty. I will dismiss the current matters."

"See that you do," leaving the throne as she briskly walked away. Elsa had become extremely authoritative ever since she almost lost Anna. She made the decision to be feared by her people if it meant that Anna would remain safe, a sacrifice she was more than willing to make. Arendelle was a secondary concern for the young Queen, an afterthought compared to her devotion to Anna.

Elsa rounded another corner and stopped before the door to her daughter's room. Emma was two years old, deserving of her own quarters, but her sister Astra still slept beside Elsa and Anna in the royal chambers. She smiled as she opened the door, leaving all of her worries behind. Her family needed her now, not the kingdom, not anyone else except the three women who mattered most to her.

"Mommy!" Emma ran towards her mother after she came into view, Elsa scooping her up into her arms. "Look at all the snowmen we made!" Emma was beaming at this point, her small voice bouncing with excitement. Elsa set her down, letting Emma lead her. "Mama helped me make this one, but I did this one all on my own!"

"I love it! Hey, where _is_ Mama? I thought she'd be here-" Elsa was cut off when a snowball smacked her cheek. "Oh I see how it is…"

"Snowball fight!" came a distinct voice from across the room, Anna pelting her wife with all of the snow her hands could carry. "C'mon, Emma! Let's get her!"

"You're going to regret that!" Elsa conjured up a giant snowball and set it on top of Anna and Emma, covering them in snow. She giggled as they tried to make their way out of the newly formed snow drift.

"That's cheating! You can't use your powers! Emma, help Mama out here!"

Elsa was once again caught off guard as a snowball fell on top of her head. She turned towards her daughter who was giggling wildly.

"I'm gonna get you!" She dived for Emma, capturing her in a flurry of snow. They were both giggling as Elsa held her daughter. She was truly happy. Anna walked over and stood over them, smiling at her wife and child. Elsa got up, still holding Emma.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Anna hugged her, bringing the three of them into a warm embrace. Elsa cherished these moments more than anything. Her family brought a warmth to her heart she had never felt before, and she would do anything to keep that feeling, and she frequently did.

They stood together in silence before Anna spoke.

"You should probably feed Astra, she's napping now but she'll be up soon."

"Yeah, I was just thinking that. Emma, wait here with Mama. I'll be right back."

Elsa kissed Anna lightly before leaving to fetch her six-month-old daughter. Being a mother brought endless joy to Elsa, filling every moment of her day with love. She had never been happier than she had been the last three and a half years; ever since she and Anna wed, everything seemed to effortlessly fall into place. People didn't question her orders, her subjects adored her and she was free to live her life as she pleased. None of her advising Lords dared question her after what she did almost four years prior.

But thoughts of her past faded as she entered her chambers. Her baby lay resting in her crib, peaceful and ignorant to the world around her. Elsa watched over her as she slept, a wide grin plastered on her face.

_This is as good as it gets._

After several blissful minutes, Astra opened her eyes, awaking from her nap. Her cries filled the room as she woke, Elsa quickly comforting her as she took her daughter in her arms.

"There, there; Mommy's here. Shhh…." Elsa rocked her until she subsided, her soft smile never leaving her face. Once Astra was calmed, Elsa fed her in the nursery before returning to Emma's room.

Anna and Emma were exited to see her, and they spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the snow. After both children were put to sleep, Elsa and Anna finished up some business in the study. Their conversation revolved mostly around their children, as they had little else on their minds.

"She can do amazing things, Elsa! Were you able to do stuff like that at her age?"

"I hardly remember when I was two, Anna, but I think so. Mama and Papa always told me how I'd conjure up snow whenever I was bored and started making snowman. It only got worse when you were born…"

"Don't talk like that! We've been over this, Love. It's nobody's fault what happened, we were children!"

"Yeah, I gue- Wait, did you just call me 'Love'?"

"…Maybe…"

"What happened to snowflake? Or honey? Or sweetie? Or the dozen other pet names you have for me?"

"I dunno, I thought I'd try something… different…"

That comment and the way Anna seductively stared at her wife lead to clothes coming off and bodies colliding in a display of passion. While a seemingly inappropriate place to do such things, the Queen and her lover had no other options. They frequently became intimate outside of their room for fear of waking their daughter, but this was the first time they attempted such acts in the study. A servant could walk in at any time, but that didn't deter the two lovers. Enthralled in each other, they kept on until the fire died out, collapsing onto a couch.

"I cant wait until we get our room back," Anna half-joked.

"I don't know, this keeps on getting more and more interesting. What next, the throne room?" Elsa saw Anna's eyes light up at the suggestion and found herself receiving a mixture of lust and excitement from the way her wife looked back.

"If you're up for it, we could-"

"Not tonight, Anna."

"No! No of course, not. But maybe…."

"Maybe. But right now we need to get back to our chambers." Anna grunted as she stood up, freeing Elsa to do the same. Once they were decently covered they made their way back to their room, slipping into bed as to not wake Astra. Elsa slept better that night than she had in weeks; she was truly happy.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, that was cheesy. I suck at writing fluff, but that was my go at it. This is probably going to be my last update for a while, sorry it's so short but I needed to move the plot forward. It's all downhill from here.**


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